Last Sacrifice
by GuardianRoseHathaway
Summary: Rose is having a rough time. She is told by Dimitri his love has faded; Lissa has a half sibling she has to find to help her best friend; and she has been accused of murdering the queen. Different look on the last book in the series. Enjoy, please read!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, so I know a lot of people are continuing the _Vampire Academy_ series since the release of _Spirit Bound_ and that was how I got started on . That being said, after reading so many versions, I couldn't help but add in my own. Enjoy, read, and review! And, as always, the lovely and talented Richelle Mead owns _Vampire Academy._**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter One

I swear, I think the guard was doing everything in his power to drive me slowly insane. Every _single_ second that passed was accompanied by a _tik_ or a _tok_, and I was just about ready to actually commit murder if he didn't shut the hell up.

I glared at him through the prison bars as he continued. And I could swear that as he watched me, his eyes narrowed, he was laughing internally. Laughing!

"Tik, tok, tik, tok," the guard continued. And after a while, I could see the other guardians were getting fed up, too.

"Hey, Evan, when is your shift over?" Guardian Andrews asked, his eyes narrowed at the other guardian. Evan shrugged and continued.

"Tik, tok, tik, tok," he said, a grin spreading across his face. And suddenly I couldn't take it anymore.

"Would you shut the hell up?" I yelled. He just grinned.

Despite my horror at the sanitary condition of the cell, once occupied by my former lover turned strigoi turned dhampir, I buried my face into the pillow and curled the ends up towards my ears in an attempt to block Evan out. But all my efforts were for nothing; his voice became louder the more I tried to tune him out.

Finally I leapt from the small, hard bed and ran to the bars, hands clutching them.

"Shut the fuck up! Are you trying to drive me insane?" I screamed. And then there was a chuckle at the end of the hall.

"Seems he is doing a pretty good job," Alberta said with a sad smile. "Evan, you can go now. I will find someone who won't drive the prisoner too insane," she said. Evan finally stopped, and with a scowl directed towards me, he started down the hall.

"Ya, that's right. Get your stupid ass out of here! And when I get out, you better watch out!" I yelled after him. He disappeared and Alberta came up to the cell with a disapproving look on her face.

"Try not to antaganize your guards too much, and watch what you say; we don't want anyone taking you literally," she reminded me gently, and that immediately pulled the smirk off of my face. I backed away from the bars and slumped onto the bed with a sigh of defeat.

"Why me?" I asked sullenly, keeping my eyes trained on the ground. When Alberta spoke, I could hear sadness in her voice.

"Because you are an easy target. You have absolutely no self control when it comes to your words, and that is being used against you," she said. I looked up and met her eyes.

"You don't think it was me?" I asked her defiantly. I was afraid she would smirk and tell me she totally believed it, that I deserved to die a traitor's death. But instead she shook her head.

"Of course not, Rose. I know that you have your anger issues, but you have a good heart and a good head on your shoulders, and no matter what you have done before, I know for a fact that you would not do this," she said simply, and I could feel slight pricks at the back of my eyes as tears threatened. I looked away from her again.

"Thank you," I whispered, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her nod.

"I didn't just come here for a social visit, Rose," she said after a moment. I looked up at her and nodded.

"I kinda figured as much, because even though I love company, I kinda of expected it more in the firm of a slim blonde Moroi or a green eyed Ivashkov," _or a hot, tall, brooding Russian god_, I mentally added. Honestly, the last person I had expected to see was Alberta- I stopped myself. That wasn't true. The last person I would expect to see was... Victor? No, even that would be less surprising than... Mason. Ya, Mason would be the last person I would expect. No, maybe..._ Oh, shut up, Rose._ No, I am trying to figure this out. _Well, if you are going to actually do this, then you should realize that Dimitri wouldn't actually come to see you. Because love fades, remember?_ Ya, but he fought for me when they took me away. _That doesn't mean anything. Dimitri has very high morals. He would do that for any body. _What about that look in the court room? _You were imagining things. _Oh, really? I imagined that? What, am I know crazy, too? _Well, that guy Evan was a complete ass and he was being super annoying. _Ya, but...

"Rose?" Alberta asked, concern on her face. I shook myself slightly, telling my inner voice to shut the hell up so I could focus on Alberta.

"So why are you here?" I asked her.

"Vasilisa, Adrian, and Christian have requested to see you," she told me. I nodded. I had heard them plenty as they yelled and screamed at the guardians to let them in.

"Ya, but they have been told no, because I am quote dangerous end quote. Like I would ever hurt Lissa," I said, rolling my eyes. Alberta gave me a look that basically said this is serious so stop being so blasé. And then I realized I had just thought the word blasé. Ugh.

"Rose, I think I can get them in to see you, but it will be really difficult," she said. I looked at her with wide eyes that instantly narrowed.

"What are you thinking?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"Vasilisa came up with something," she told me. I nodded and watched her expectantly, which she seemed to sense.

"Rose, I don't actually now what it is, I was just told to tell you," she said. I sagged my shoulders in defeat and got up from the bed, walking slowly over to where Alberta was standing.

"Alberta, do you know anything? About the case, I mean? I haven't seen Abe since the day they decided to have the trial, and Lissa doesn't seem to really know when I check in on her, so..." I tailed off and watched her, but she just shook her head with a sorrowful look on her face.

"Sorry, Rose, I really wish I had something to tell you, but I don't know anything. The Moroi are keeping everything really quiet at this point as to their feelings, and a guardian like myself wouldn't really know anything," she said sadly. I shrugged and sat back down on the bed.

"All right. Thanks anyway, Alberta," I said wearily. She looked at me peculiarly.

"No witty comeback, no smartass remark? Rose, tell me truthfully, how are you doing?" she asked. I looked up at her, trying to do that cool eyebrow thing but not succeeding. Both of my eyebrows rose and I stood up, walking over to her as I spoke.

"Well, let's see Alberta, I am stuck in a jail cell for killing the queen of the Moroi, which I have sworn to protect with my own life. I fre-" I cut my words off and bit my lip, and she gave me a curious look, but I shook my head. I had been about to say I freed the man who tortured me and my best friend and then lost him in Las Vegas. I changed my words.

"I freed Dimitri from his Strigoi state and could have lost Lissa's life because of it, and he will barely talk to me. But, most of all, I am innocent for this! I didn't do it! And I could almost stand if I were being punished for something I had done, but I am innocent, and only a few people seem to believe me!" I said, starting off at a normal volume. But by the end of my short rant, I was screaming. Startled, I raised a hand to my face and found tears. I hadn't even realized I had started crying. I turned away from Alberta and wiped my face.

"That is more like the Rose I know. Look, just don't give up. You have a lot more people then you think, and so many people care about you. Keep your self," she finished. I was puzzled by her last statement. "Don't loose yourself," she clarified, and I nodded.

"I won't, I am just going insane in here and there is something I really have to do," I told her. She looked puzzled, but once again I deflected any questions by shaking my head.

"I can't tell what it is, I can only say it is very important, and I can't do it from a jail cell," I finished. She nodded and then looked down the hall.

"Look, Rose, I have to go. Anything you want me to say to anyone?" she asked, her eyes darting from me to the end of the hall and back again. And then she looked at her watch.

"Got to be somewhere?" I asked sarcastically. She grimaced.

"Unfortunately, yes. So if there are messages you want me to pass on, you better hurry up and tell me," she said anxiously, once again looking at the end of the hall. And while I was tempted to ask her what was so desperately important, I didn't want to waste the little bit of time I had to say what I wanted to.

"Tell Lissa I love her and miss her and not to worry because everything will be okay. Tell Adrian I love him and that he needs to come visit me later tonight," she opened her mouth to protest but I shook my head. "He'll understand. Just tell him. Tell Christian to watch over Lissa no matter what, and that he is the best person to help her through whatever happens," I finished. She lifted one eyebrow, and while at other times I would have felt a pang of jealousy, I just looked at her curiously now.

"What?" I asked her.

"Don't you want to tell Guardian Belikov something?" she asked me. I shook my head.

"No, he made his decision," I said. She nodded and turned away.

"Stay strong, Rose," she called back after me as she left.

"I'll try," I whispered to myself, sitting back down on the bed with a sigh and a heavy heart.

**Okay, so that is the first chapter. I have some big ideas, some of which I have actually shared in a review and decided I actually really liked and so I decided to write this. Big things are coming for Rose and her friends, including a breakout and some face time with Dimitri. And I will let you all know, I love Adrian a lot, he is just too sweet to Rose. He is always there for her, no matter what she needs or what she is doing. But I love Dimitri more. There is just something between him and Rose that... is spectacular. And despite Dimitri's rather stupid behavior in _Spirit Bound_, they belong together. Sorry Adrian fans. :'( Review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I am actually really getting into this, and it seems a lot easier (at this point) then going through VA and trying to figure out Dimitri's POV, like in my other story. Which, of course, I will be continuing, just this is faster. Right now, at least, because I have a general idea of where the story is going. Anyways, Enjoy! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Two

I lay on the bed after Alberta left, staring blankly at the ceiling. And after a few minutes of silence, I started to wish Evan was back. At least then there had been _something _going on.

"Tik, tok, tik, tok," I said with a sigh.

"Oh no, Rose, don't go off the deep end," Guardian Andrews joked. I rolled my eyes and smiled at him, sitting up. Finally, a response from someone. I wondered what it would take to break the guardians' masks. I swear, I think I could take off all of my clothes and start dancing and singing and they would continue to stare blankly at the wall. Of course, at least then I would be doing something.

"I'm not going crazy. I am trying to drive you guys insane so I can make my daring escape," I teased. Guardian Andrews rolled his and smiled, and then he went back to that whole _seeing but not really seeing _thing. So, for lack of something better to do, like finding Lissa's half sibling, I contented myself with slipping into her mind to see what was happening.

She was sitting in, of all places, my room, and there were tears streaming down her face as she looked around at the mess. I looked with her, seeing familiar items. She sat down on the unmade bed and picked up an old shirt and sobbed.

She was heartbroken, afraid, confused. Mostly afraid, though. What would she do without me?

"Lissa, Rose will be perfectly fine. There is absolutely nothing that will ever be able to take her away from you, because she cares about you so damn much. She will come back from the dead twenty more times before she leaves you," Christian said, suddenly appearing as Lissa turned to look at him. She swallowed and nodded. I hadn't even realized Christian was there until he spoke, her mind was so preoccupied.

"I know, I am just so terrified that this will be too much for her. She has had to deal with so much, I just..." she trailed off and placed her head on Christian's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Liss, Rose is strong," Adrian said, and she looked over at him. I was surprised at what she saw.

He was looking extremely worn. His hair, which was usually kept impeccably, deliberately messy, was just messy now. It looked like he hadn't handled a comb in a few days, although he had obviously showered. He must not be sleeping, though, because there were large bags under his bright green eyes. And he looked pale, even for a Moroi. Lissa felt pity as she looked at him, and concern, and a unconcious desire to heal his pain and take it away. But this wasn't a physical injury that spirit could fix. This was a mental problem that I knew wouldn't go away until I went from. And from the look of things, that was a very slim chance.

"Rose is strong, but she is dealing with a lot right now, and..." Lissa hesitated before speaking again, but I could read the thoughts in her head and they made me worry. "Even the strongest fall sometimes. And the higher you are, the harder you fall," she finished at a whisper.

She really believed that, and she was so afraid that now was my breaking point, that I was going to suddenly snap and I wouldn't be able to take it anymore. And that soon after I would be dead. And underneath all of that, she felt as if it were her fault, something she voiced after a moment.

"I brought this on Rose. This is all my fault, and I can't even do a damn thing about it," she suddenly said, taking all of us by surprise when she cursed.

"Lissa, this isn't your fault. How could you think that?" Christian asked, appalled.

"Christian, there are so many reasons I can't even begin to start listing them," she sighed. But a moment later she started talking.

"I healed Rose when she died. I brought her back to life, and ever since then everything has been about me. _I _was the reason we left the Academy and went on the run. I was the reason Rose was behind when we came back, the reason she needed a tutor. She may not have needed those extra lessons with Dimitri if she hadn't taken me away to protect me. She would have already been doing so well that she would have been the top of her class. But instead, she spent all of her spare time with Dimitri, learning more so she could protect me. And because of that she fell in love with Dimitri. She probably wouldn't have if she hadn't had those training lessons, which she had to have because of me. And if she hadn't fallen for Dimitri, she wouldn't have gone after him when he was taken and turned Strigoi. Which means that we wouldn't have gone on that crazy scheme to go release Victor to save him. Which means that Victor wouldn't have escaped from us. Which means Dimitri wouldn't have been turned back. Which means that Rose would not have been in trouble with the court already, because she never would have left. And anyway, without me she wouldn't have been at court, probably, which means that she wouldn't have spoken so to the queen, which means that she wouldn't have been accused of murdering the queen which means she wouldn't be in a jail cell right now. And she is miserable, and caged up, and I can't do anything to help her. And it is all my fault," she was babbling, and she seemed to realize it, so she shut up. But her thoughts weren't done.

She felt that by bringing me back she had completely messed up my life. Because I had put her first, which led to meeting Dimitri. But most importantly, she felt that when she became my friend all those years back in Kindergarten, she had made her first mistake. She had made the first step in ruining my life.

I wished so badly for the bond to work both ways at that moment, but as always, God or whoever was up there wasn't listening. So I cursed.

"Well, is that anyway to talk to your fathher?" Abe asked with a chuckle. And just like that I was sucked back into myself and I was staring through the bars at my lawyer and father.

"You know I wasn't talking to you, old man. So, what happened to me not going to trial?" I asked him sarcastically, standing up and walking over to him. He shrugged.

"You aren't going to trial. I just have to work out a few kinks before we can do anything," he said. I sighed impatiently.

"I am slowly going insane in here. I need to get out, and you are supposed to do that," I growled. He just gave me a look.

"Look, I have been very hard at work-" he started, but I interrupted.

"Is that why you haven't been to see me?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Of course. As a matter a fact, I had a meeting with some guardians today and we were discussing the trial and some different ways of collecting evidence," he said. I looked at him, surprised.

"Oh! So that is where Alberta had to hurry off to earlier," I surmised. He nodded.

"Yes. Now, Rose, we are working as hard as we can. They have set the trial date for approximately three weeks from now, meaning that I am going to be spending every moment on this case. And that means you won't see me a lot. I am working on negotiating for you to be able to have visitors beyond the regular guardians and myself, but I am having a lot of trouble. They are all royals, Rose, and Vasilisa especially is very important, being the last of the Dragomirs. And while you know, I know, and Vaslisa knows that you are innocent, convincing everyone else is difficult. And until they are sure you are safe to her, they are refusing to let her see you. And I am sure you more than anyone realize that having Vasilisa use some unsavory method to get in to see you would be detrimental," he told me. I nodded.

"I don't want her getting in trouble just so we can see each other. And that goes for everyone," I said. He nodded, expecting as much.

"Well, I am going to leave you to your thoughts and this bright little cell of yours so I can continue work on your case. Be careful, Rose," Abe said before leaving. And once again I was left to on my own, with nothing but the somewhat comforting thought that my mobster father was on the case. Literally.

**Okay, so there is chapter two. Chapter three will probably be coming tomorrow, because this is really fun! And I know where I am going with it, so that makes everything easier. Until I stop knowing where I am going with it, of course. We are leading up to an amazing breakout, courtesy of some presently unknown (to you readers) people. Suggestions, ideas, comments, concerns, questions, or really anything is welcome. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! So I was extremely pleased at how many people were viewing the story, and the fact that people added it for story alerts and stuff. But if people would please review, that would be great. I am not going to base my updating on how many reviews I get, but it is always nice to know how the readers are reacting to it! I would like to thank Sweet-Chi-Chi for being my first reviewer, and everyone who has added me! And, that being said, let's get onto the story. And, as always, I don't own anything.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Three

Time seems to literally stop when you are locked up. Or maybe it just seemed that way because no matter how many times I asked the guards to tell me the time. Or even the date. But of course, no one was willing to converse with the evil murderer who had in one single motion killed the leader of the Moroi we were sworn to protect and brought the whole Moroi civilization down into a mix of chaos and destruction that will only be fixed when said evil murderer is brought to justice and killed. Of course, who actually cares if they are guilty or not? Oh, thats right. No one except the poor, innocent victim who is stuck in a jail cell and not even able to tell the time.

I started pacing across the cell, counting.

"One, two, three, four, five," I said, and then hit the wall. So I turned around.

"Six seven eight nine ten," I counted, and then hit the other side of the cell. And so, I went diagnally across the cell.

"Hathaway, what are you doing?" a voice asked, and swirling around I found the last person I would ever expect to find visiting me.

_No, that's not the last- _I cut myself off, not wanting to start arguing with myself. Again.

"Stan, what are you doing here?" I asked wearily, stopping dead center in the cell and staring at him. He frowned.

"I would yell at you about not using my title, but at this point I think your life is hell enough that I don't need to make it worse," he said with a smirk. I sighed.

"Did you just come in here to gloat or do you actually have a purpose?" I asked him.

"I am here to bring you your dinner," he said, and with an exaggerated flourish he pulled a plate from behind his back. And on top had to be the worst looking soup and bread I had ever seen.

"Wow, good to know they feed their prisoners so well. Hell, that just has to be the best fucking food ever," I said sarcastically, my eyes narrowed at the revolting food. The soup was a disgusting green color that distinctly reminded me of slugs, and the bread looked hard and had a slightly greenish tint to it.

"Ah, always looking on the bright side, aren't we, Hathaway?" Stan said, and he opened the door long enough to stick the food and then closed it. And I was too busy glaring at the food I had missed a potential escape.

"Stan, go fuck yourself," I growled, picking up the food and throwing it out of the cell. Most of the soup hit Stan, and I instantly felt bad. But not bad enough, and besides, it wasn't as if I hadn't dreamed about doing something similar every day while sitting in his class.

"Well, I guess someone is going to go hungry. And if I were you, Hathaway, I wouldn't throw food at people who actually believe you are innocent. It sends the wrong message," he said, and I felt shock course through my body. _Stan _thought I was innocent? What kind of world are we living in? Because it sure as hell isn't the one I left.

"Next time I am telling them to get someone else to bring the food," he grumbled as he left. And when he was gone, I felt like a complete and total idiot. I had let my anger get the best of me. Again. And that was why I was really in here.

I sighed and went to lay down on the bed, staring longingly at the moldy bread and the nasty soup that was now dripping down the wall outside my cell. My stomach grumbled, just further emphasizing my stupidity. Because I knew it would be a while before I recieved another meal. So I closed my eyes and dreamed of chocolate donuts and other delicious foods that I would probably never taste again.

There was a large chocolate donut running towards me through a whipped cream river. And I could see a steaming waffle bathing itself in the river, and then glaring at the chocolate donut as it splashed its way through. And over across the way there were lollipop trees and... The scene suddenly changed, and I was sitting in Adrian's dining room. I was instantly reminded of the last time I had been there, at dinner with Adrian and his parents, and unexpected... yet expected visitor had arrived. Adrian had warned me she might be coming, but I thought he was kidding. So when Queen Tatiana walked in, I was completely and totally shocked. And nervous, considering my previous interactions with her. But she had been fairly courteous.

Adrian walked in through the door and walked over to me, wrapping his arms tightly around me. I hugged him back and then stepped away.

"I guess you got the message?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Rose, we are getting you out, we just haven't figured out how yet," Adrian said, completely serious and unlike his normal self. I shrugged.

"You guys can't even figure out a way to get in to see me, never mind break me out of jail and rescue me. Besides, I am usually the evil mastermind behind those types of plans, and I am completely off limits right now," I said, sitting down at the table. Adrian sat down next to me and took my hand.

"I know that is difficult right now, but we are all working as hard as we can. Lissa and I have been trying to get information from people to see if anyone knows anything, your father has been working his ass of talking to everyone he has ever known and pulling all types of strings, Christian is working to keep Lissa sane, and..." he trailed off, suddenly not wanting to speak. I had a feeling he was about to talk about a certain Russian god that no longer loved me, so I decided not to press him.

"I know you guys are, but this is huge. And I just don't think it is going to be enough in the end. Getting me out would take something huge, something so huge that no one would even suspect. And I don't want you guys getting in trouble because of me, understand?" I asked. He shook his head.

"We are not giving up, and neither are you," he said stubbornly. I tried to do that eyebrow thing again and failed; both eyebrows shot up on cue.

"I am not giving up. Hell to the no. But I just think that maybe you guys should except the fact that things probably aren't going to work out, and you should all leave this alone. You all have a reputation to protect, something that will be here much longer than I will, and I don't want any of you to mess things up," I said.

"Oh yes, because we have me, who is considered a partying heartbreaker who does absolutely nothing to help society," he started. I opened my mouth to argue, but he continued. "Then we have Christian, who is ostrosized anyway because everyone is afraid he is going to go Strigoi any moment. And let's not forget Dimitri, as much as I wish we both could. He was a Strigoi and turned back, and a lot of peopel don't trust him anyway, so what the hell? He doesn't really have anything to lose. And Abe already has a bad reputation, and is pretty scary I might add. So I think we don't really have much to worry about when it comes to our reputations," he said with a grin. I shook my head, deciding not to argue with the first four. But there was someone very important he had not mentioned.

"What about Lissa?" I asked him truimphantly. I couldn't see any way that he could argue his way out of that, and sure enough his grin disappeared.

"Lissa could be the next queen if she plays her cards right. But don't you see? Lissa will go insane without you. Between the grief of losing you, the effects of spirit and the pressure at court, she will probably not survive. She needs you, and she knows it, you know it, and everyone else knows it. If you go then so will she. And so she has to fight for you, reputation or not," he answered quietly. I bit my lip and tried to block the tears from coming out of my eyes. I knew that Lissa needed me, but I didn't see how this could all work out.

"Please, Adrian, as my last wish, please try and get everyone to back off. I don't want you all suffering because of me. And like you said earlier, you all already have somewhat bad reputations. Being involved with me could irrevocably ruin it," I reasoned. But Adrian shook his head.

"There is no way any of us are giving up on you, Rose," he argued. I stood up quickly.

"You will because I am telling you to. God damn it, Adrian, I thought you would understand. I am not giving up on myself until the time that I am dead, and even then I will still try to fight it. But everyone needs to back off. Abe can't because he is my lawyer, but I don't want to hear that you or anyone has been trying to see me. I don't want to hear you yelling at the guardians to let you through. I don't want you or Lissa using compulsion to get answers. I want you to leave me and anything to do with me alone. Understand?" I said, putting my face directly in front of his so our noses were almost touching. Adrian didn't answer, but stopped the dream, pulling away. I woke up and gasped. What had I done? I needed my friends now more than ever, and had directly ordered Adrian to have everyone stay away. And while I was pretty sure they wouldn't listen, I still didn't want to be... I didn't want to be like Dimitri had been when he had been in here. It had broken my heart, him not wanting to see me, and I had promised myself I wouldn't be. But here I was, telling them to stay away.

I sighed and a tear ran down my cheek.

**And there is chapter three. I wasn't quite sure how the conversation with Rose and Adrian would go, but when I first started writing I definitely didn't see it going the way it did. I feel bad for Rose; she certainly doesn't deserve any of what she is going through. And like she said, she needs her friends. But what good is it going to do if they get in trouble, too? None at all. So I had her push them away. Well, I guess push Adrian away and tell him to push everyone else away for her. But whatever. :D There is an awesome scene between Lissa, Adrian, and Dimitri coming up, as well as a jailbreak that I personally think is going to be totally awesome. Or at least it should be kind of unexpected. But we shall just have to wait and see... ;D Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I can't believe it. I had quite a bit of this chapter finished and then my computer freaked and went back. So I lost it. Ahh! I am so frustrated. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Enjoy, and please review! I don't own anything.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Four

When I woke up I instantly went into Lissa's head. I wanted to be there when Adrian told her what I had said. And after a few minutes of Lissa's dreams, there was a knock on the door.

"Lissa, I just talked to Rose. And I know you told me to come by and tell you what she said, so here I am," Adrian said. Lissa darted up, nearly smacking Christian, who she had been curled up next to. He woke up and grumbled something that Lissa, and so by default I, could not hear, but it sounded somewhat like stupid f-ing spirit user waking us up in the middle of the night- But then again, who knows?

Lissa quickly went to the door and pulled it open, grabbing Adrian who stumbled inside. She led him over to the couch and sat down next to him, excitement running through her.

"Did you tell Dimitri?" she asked. He gave her a weird look.

"No, I didn't tell Dimitri. I'm sorry, but I don't exactly want to go running to him every time I get information about Rose. He made his feelings for her very clear before she was accused of murdering my aunt, and just because now he is all worried and concerned and shit doesn't mean that he deserves to know anything. He hurt Rose," Adrian hissed, surprising both Lissa and I. And then he snapped out of it and sighed.

"Do I have to call him?" he asked, and Lissa nodded. So Adrian pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called.

"Belikov, Lissa hung me by my toes and forced me to call you. I talked to Rose and Lissa seems to think you should know," Adrian. I desperately wanted to know what was being said on the other side, but of course I couldn't hear Dimitri's answer.

"No, you don't. Just come over if you want to hear what she said," Adrian said.

Lissa really seemed to feel that Dimitri still loved me, despite everything, and she thought he had a right to know what was going on with me. It was too bad I hadn't had any time to tell her what had passed between us. _Love fades. Mine has. _I wondered if Lissa would be as thoughtful to what Dimitri wanted if she knew that little piece of information.

Adrian had hung up the phone and was now sitting quietly on the couch next to Lissa, not meeting her eyes. But Lissa wasn't paying attention to him. And that's when it hit me.

Lissa really thought I could do anything, and that I would come up with some master plan to get me out of jail and prove myself innocent. She believed Adrian was here to tell them my plan to escape. Because she honestly thought that I had figured something out. Pain streaked through my stomach and it could only be described as one thing: guilt. I was letting Lissa down.

Lissa's thoughts were interrupted by Christian entering the room. He had a sleepy but interested look on his face as he made his way over, and Lissa scooted over to give him room.

"Christian, good, you should probably herre this," Lissa said, and then there was a knock on the door and Lissa darted up to go and answer it.

When the door opened and Dimitri was revealed, my heart started beating faster and the pain was replaced by butterflies. My mind went hazy and nothing else seemed to exist except for Dimitri. I just stared at him. That is, until Lissa turned around and headed back to the couch, sitting down in between Christian and Adrian. And despite Lissa pressuring Dimitri to sit down, he continued standing with his hands behind his back, just waiting for Adrian to start talking.

"Adrian, what did Rose say?" she asked, excitement creeping into her voice. And there was the guilt.

Even though Lissa couldn't see the pity on Adrian's face, I could. And I think that Christian could to, because he wrapped his arm around Lissa's waist and took her hand in his.

"Lissa, don't get your hopes up. Rose is awesome, but she is not a miracle worker," Christian cautioned. Lissa just continued to watch Adrian hopefully.

"Christian is right. Rose isn't a miracle worker," Adrian started, and then stopped. He seemed hesitant, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to change. It was as if all three guys had suddenly been punched in the gut at the same time. But while Lissa could feel the change, she didn't understand it. Because while she clung to the hope I had come up with a brilliant escape plan, Christian and Dimitri seemed to realize that this wasn't that type of discussion.

Dimitri sat down heavily in a chair, but Lissa only spared a glance for him before turning back to Adrian.

"Adrian, what did Rose say?" she repeated. And after a moment, Adrian spoke.

"Rose said that she wants everyone to stay out of it. She doesn't want anyone's reputation ruinied because they are linked with her. She said that she isn't giving up, but that we should stay away. No more visiting the guards in hopes of getting in. No more compulsion, no more anything. She basically wants us to cut her out of our lives. Because while Rose says she will keep fighting even after she is dead, she doesn't seem to feel that there is any hope. And she doesn't want our lives ruined because of this," Adrian murmured, as if by saying the words quietly and soothingly it would take the sting away. But I could feel all types of dark emotions coursing through Lissa.

"What the hell does she think she is doing?" she finally burst out with, catching all three guys by surprise when she cursed. But if the times I was with her were any indication, Lissa was cursing a lot lately.

"Lissa, she just doesn't want any of our chances being ruined because of her. She is trying in a very stupid and hurtful way to protect us," Adrian said, but then a tear dropped from his eye on to his cheek. Christian's arm tightened around Lissa.

"Please Lissa, just calm down. Rose will be fine. She always is. And she is trying to make sure we all are, too," Christian whispered, trying to calm her. And in some ways, it did. She became less angry and more upset. Tears were drifting down her face.

"Oh, Rose," she whispered.

I had almost forgotten Dimitri was there, amazingly enough. But he was suddenly brought to my immediate attention when he grabbed Lissa's arms tightly in his hands and brought his face a mere inches away from her own.

"Rose, I know you are in there, and we are not giving up on you no matter what you might say," Dimitri said fiercely. Lissa had for a moment felt frightened, but that feeling went away and understanding and compassion filled her. I was shocked. How had he known that I was watching?

"Rose, Dimitri is right. We are not giving up on trying to help you. We aren't staying away. Because there are so many people who care about you and want to help. A lot more than you would think," Lissa said. And she honestly felt that way.

I couldn't take staring into Dimitri's beautiful brown eyes any longer. I pulled out of Lissa's bed and was left staring at the inside of my cell.

I had had a feeling they wouldn't listen, but hearing them promise to help me lifted me up and made me upset at the same time. And I could still feel dark feelings pulsing through Lissa. So I pulled them out of her, leaving her feeling calmer and more stable. But the only problem was now they were inside of me.

Suddenly everything just seemed that much less bearable. Everything seemed so much worse. So unfair. And I couldn't do a damn thing about it.

I lashed out, doing the only thing I could and started hitting the wall. It was just so completely unfair. I was innocent, and everyone around me was suffering for the stupid fucking councel's mistake.

By the time I was done releasing my anger, my knuckles were completely bloodied and my face was completely covered with tears. I collapsed onto the bed and looked down at my red hands.

I took the blanket from the bed and cleaned off the blood, but fresh blood kept coming. So I ripped the blanket, pulling off two long pieces and wrapped them around each of my hands, trying to get the bleeding to stop. And then I just laid down on the bed and closed my eyes. There was so much running through my mind that I thought I would never be able to fall asleep. But then again, what do I know? After only a few moments, I was asleep.

**And there was chapter four. Sorry everyone; it was a lot better before it got deleted, and then I was a bit distracted at the end, but here it is. Review, por favor! :D Thank you! Next up is the breakout!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I just wanted to thank everyone who has been reading this story and adding me to their story alerts and favorite authors and stuff. It brings a smile to my face when I get on and see that. So thank you! And with that being said, on to chapter five, which I am super excited to write because it contains the big breakout. Enjoy and review!**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Five

I slept peacefully since the first time being in this cell. There were no Adrian dreams, no nightmares, just the perfect bliss of being asleep and actually sleeping. So let's just say I was extremely irritated when a loud thump woke me up from said peaceful sleep.

For a moment I just laid there with my eyes closed, begging myself to fall back a sleep and cursing the asshole who woke me. But then there came another thump. And another. And finally I just couldn't ignore it any more. I opened my eyes and looked through the bars of the cell.

What I saw made my eyes widen. I couldn't believe it. For a moment I was in shock, and then I darted up and went to the bars to stand in front of Lissa and Dimitri.

"I thought I told everyone to stay away," I hissed, but then my heart did that weird thing it does when Dimitri is around and I just stared at him. He showed no emotion, keeping his guardian mask on, but he at least was speaking. Lissa stood right next to Dimitri, and was staring at me, but she didn't make a sound, which made me worried. But my attention was brought back to Dimitri when he spoke.

"Rose, we are here to break you out," he said, throwing an anxious look over his shoulder. There were at least ten guardians in the room, all of them new to me. They stood facing the door to the hallway, watching it for anyone coming.

"What the hell are you thinking? You can't get me out of here," I cried. "Are the guardians with you?" I asked them, taking in each and every one of them. Dimitri nodded.

"Yes, they are here to help. Now, if you will shut up for five seconds we can get you out. And no arguing," he said authoritatively as he pulled out the key to my cell. He quickly unlocked it and pulled me out, but when his hand touched my skin I felt... nothing. If anything it was more like I wanted to recoil from his touch, some hidden instinct. I was confused, concerned, but I ignored it and followed them out.

"You are going to need this. Vasilisa charmed it for you," Dimitri said quickly, again looking around carefully as he shoved a ring onto my finger. And when I looked at myself in Dimitri's dark eyes, I could see... Christian. Oh God, they were really doing this.

"You guys are idiots!" I cried, but then a hand covered my mouth.

"Shut up, stay quiet, don't say a word," Dimitri said in rapid succession, and it was enough to make me actually listen and shut up. Of course, the hard glint in his eyes also helped with that.

For once, Rose Hathaway was silenced by something someone else had done. Of course, it was Dimitri, but still. I sighed internally and again tried to get a read on Lissa, but she was blocking me. So I sidled up next to her as Dimitri went up the stairs to look out with five other guardians. They must have upped his security since the last time I had seen him.

"Liss, what is going on? What is the plan? God, you know you could completely ruin everything," I whispered to her, but all she did was raise a slim finger to her mouth and shushed me. Surprised, I did as she said, and then Dimitri reappeared.

"Come on, everything is ready," he said quietly, motioning us forward. Taking Lissa's hand for comfort and to even further help with the masquerade, I walked forward.

We made it out of the building with no resistance, and as we stepped outside I squinted. The sun was out in full force, and it was brutal. Being kept in my cell had made me accustomed to the dark, or at least not this bright light. Besides, being on a vampire schedule made it so that we were nearly constantly in the dark. This sudden brightness concerned me, but I immediately felt worried for Lissa. I turned to her and saw her squint as she put on a pair of sunglasses, and even Dimitri seemed affected. I enjoyed the heat on my skin, but I obediently put on the sunglasses Dimitri shoved into my hands.

We continued walking quickly, always on the lookout. And for the first half of our journey we were doing good, without a soul in sight. But when we reached about the halfway point towards one of the gates we were stopped.

"Lissa, Christian, what are you doing outside during the day?" Adrian asked with a quizzical look as he stared up at the sun through his sunglasses. Dimitri answered for us.

"We could ask you the same question, Ivashkov," he said snarkily, taking me by surprise. Adrian lifted his eyebrows up and put his hands up.

"No need to get testy with me, Belikov. And may I remind you that I am a Moroi royal, and that you should be showing a little more respect to me," Adrian countered. I was shocked. I wanted to say something to defuse the situation, but Dimitri had specifically said to stay quiet. Even so, I opened my mouth to speak, but Dimitri caught me and shook his head slightly. I was confused; wasn't Adrian part of the plan?

"Look, I am just going to go see Rose. Hopefully security is down some since it is day and I might be able to use enough compulsion that they will let me in," Adrian said with a shrug. He turned towards Lissa and me. "Do you guys want to come?" I shook my head at the same time as Lissa, who was being extremely quiet. I didn't know what was up with her, but as soon as we were to safety we were going to have a _long _chat. A very long chat.

One thing that I did understand by this whole exchange was that Adrian had no idea they were breaking me out, and he had no idea it was me. Which was interesting, because I could have sworn that spirit users would be able to see through other spirit users stuff. But if Adrian was any indication, that was not the case. And then he pulled out a cigarette, and I had a pretty good idea why he wouldn't pick up on it.

He lit the cigarette and put it in his mouth, taking a quick drag and removing it to blow out the puff of smoke. And while I understood he was in pain, he wasn't helping himself by smoking, and if I wasn't mistaken, drinking. Because now that I was paying attention, I could smell vodka coming off of him.

"Adrian, we have to go. Tell Rose we said hello," Dimitri said briskly and steered us away, leaving Adrian looking back at us with a weird expression on his face.

We got to the gates and Lissa used her compulsion to get us out, and after the slightest bit of walking we came upon a black car with highly tinted windows which I assumed we were going in, an assumption proved correct when we climbed in. I didn't question anything, because I was with the two people I loved most, I was out of a jail cell, and finally I would be able to help Lissa find her lost sibling. Goodbye court, hello freedom.

**So, the breakout seemed a little anticlimatic, right? Well, that is because it was. At least, so far. I can't wait to get writing on the next chapter, because there is going to be a lot of drama. :D Because of course, to the rest of Moroi society, the traitorous murder of their queen just escaped. LOL... I am going to stop writing now, because if I continue then I will end up giving away everything, and where would be the fun of that? Poor Adrian, being left behind... :'( Wait until he finds Rose missing! Anyway, please review! The next chapter will be coming soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ahh! So, I am so excited about this chapted and the next... For reasons that of course are unknown at the moment to you lovely readers, but are completely clear to me. :D Anyway, instead of gabbing up here, I am going to start writing. But first I would like to thank Joanna11 for consistently reviewing. Thank you! Anyway, enjoy and please review! I want to hear your thoughts! And, of course, I own nothing. It all belongs to Richelle Mead.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Six

I kept looking over at Lissa, expecting her to say something as we drove farther and farther away from court, but she was silent. She barely even looked at me, expect for a few glances out of the corner of her eye, and the minute she would notice me looking, she would look away.

After only a few minutes of silence, I couldn't take it. It was like being back in the cell, and I was with the two people I cared about the most.

"So why wasn't Adrian included in this little scheme?" I asked them. Lissa stayed silent. After a moment, Dimitri spoke.

"Adrian would have been unwilling to assist us," he said, sounding very formal and... unlike Dimitri. I felt bad all of a sudden; he was under strain because of me. And any chance he had had of regaining his stature in the guardian and Moroi community was dashed by this. And so I didn't even question what he said, although I knew Adrian would have helped them in a heart beat. I put my hand on Dimitri's arm.

"You shouldn't have done this. You've lost any chance of becoming reinstated as a guardian," I whispered. He just shrugged and turned towards the window, moving his arm away from my grasp. I sighed and looked down at my lap; typical Dimitri pushing me away. Or, at least, typical of him lately. And before... so I guess my first comment was correct. Typical Dimitri.

I turned to Lissa.

"Why isn't Christian here, Liss? I am surprised you would leave without fire boy," I commented. But once again she wouldn't look at me or answer, and I still couldn't get a read on her because she was blocking me.

"Christian would have been unwilling to help as well," Dimitri commented, his face still turned towards the window. Now I know that isn't true.

"He would do anything for Lissa, that I am sure of," I argued. Or at least he better do anything for Lissa, because other wise I was going to jump up front to the driver's seat and turn this vehicle around so I can go pummel the crap out of him. Dimitri must have sensed that, because he spoke again.

"Lissa felt it better to leave him at court and not get him mixed up in this, so she didn't tell him," Dimitri answered. I looked over at Lissa, who was now examining her cuticles.

"Liss, what is wrong with you? You have been acting strange the whole time you have been here. Are you okay?" I asked anxiously, trying to look into her eyes. But she too turned towards the window, and Dimitri answered for her.

"Vasilisa has been under a lot of stress lately and is very tired. As a matter a fact, it might be a good idea if the princess goes to sleep," Dimitri hinted, and Lissa closed her eyes.

"What the fuck is going on here? Why do you keep talking for her? I want to hear from Lissa," I yelled, grabbing Lissa's hand in both of mine.

"Lissa, how are you doing?" I asked, grinding my teeth together in frustration. She turned to stare at me, her green eyes wide and unseeing. And I could tell something was wrong.

"Lissa, what the hell is going on?" I asked her, worry cracking through my tough exterior as I looked her over. She appeared okay, but there was something about her eyes...

"Rose, just go to sleep. You are really tired," she said quietly, staring directly into my eyes. And it sounded like such a good idea. I _was _tired; for obvious reasons I hadn't been sleeping well in the cell. My eyes started to drift shut; I was so close to giving in to the blissfullness of sleep when I realized what was happening.

I fought against the sudden lethargy and snapped my eyes opened, glaring at Lissa.

"You used compulsion on me!" I shrieked. She just turned her head back towards the window.

"I can not believe you would do that! What the f-" I was cut off by a sudden wave of emotions that weren't mine.

The spike in Lissa's emotions were so intense it dragged me into her head. And what I was looking at surprised me.

She was sitting in front of the Moroi councel with tears running down her face.

"Do you or do you not know where Rosemarie Hathaway has escaped to?" one of the men said with a glare at Lissa. I felt the urge to punch him, but for obvious reasons I could not indulge in the urge. And I was so completely and utterly confused.

"No, I didn't even know she had escaped," Lissa cried, burying her face in her hands. A pair of arms encircled her, pulling her closer, and after a moment I realized it was Christian.

"I don't believe you. We know that you and Miss Hathaway are very close and-" he was cut off by a_.

"She obviously is as shocked and concerned as the rest of us, _. Let's get on to the next person," she said impatiently. And after a moment, he nodded.

Lissa took a seat in the back of the court room and watched as... oh my God, was that Dimitri? walked up to his place in front of the councel. And they started asking the same questions of him as they had of Lissa. Where am I? What am I doing? The questions kept coming, but my brain had long since stopped functioning.

Lissa was an absolute mess. She could not understand why she had not been included in my plan, but at least she took comfort in the fact that no one seemed to know anything either. Of course, that also meant she couldn't find anything about me.

She looked over at Adrian, who was sitting with his mother on the other side of the court, also near the back. He had already undergone questioning, and was now sitting thoughtfully. Lissa needed to talk to him, to get him to go into my dreams and find out what happened. But obviously she could not just run over there now and ask. So she promised herself that as soon as she could she would talk to them.

My mind was in a state of shock. If Lissa was here and court, and if Dimitri, Christian, and Adrian were here also, then who the hell was I with? Through Lissa's eyes I picked out either people I knew in the audience. There was Eddie, Mia, Abe, Janine, Tasha, nearly everyone I knew was sitting there watching the councel pepper Dimitri with questions. And for the first time ever, _my _emotions forced me out of Lissa's head, and I was left looking at... Lissa and Dimitri?

I let out a scream which was cut short when "Dimitri's" hand covered my mouth.

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed into my ear, but I jerked back from him. My eyes traveled quickly from "Lissa" to "Dimitri" and back again in rapid succession, as I tried to make sense of what was happening. But I could still feel Lissa's emotions inside of me, frightened and upset and a slight bit angry. And I knew for a fact that these people were not Lissa and Dimitri. So the real question was, who were they?

"Who the hell are you people?" I snapped. And after exchanging a look, they both took of silver rings from their fingers. And then I started screaming for all I was worth.

**I know, I know, bad me for leaving you all like that. So any guesses on who they are? Creativity is the key here, of course. But then again, after listing all of those people she saw at court, well... there aren't a lot of people left. And of course, if anyone read my review then they already know what is going on. :D Anyway, I will update soon, because as much as I would love to leave you all hanging for a little while... I know, I know that is very mean... I can't wait to write it, so that means it should be coming soon. Hope you enjoyed, and please review! I want to hear your thoughts on who you think they are!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Goodness I just love writing! It is so much fun. ;) Anyway, enjoy and review! I don't own anything.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Seven

I couldn't believe it. It couldn't be... I closed my eyes and opened them again. I blinked a few more times, but there was no mistaking it.

Victor Dashkov had his hand pressed to my mouth to stop me from screaming, and I was in such a state of shock that I couldn't fight him. I just stared wide eyed at the man that I had broken out of jail... and then lost while fighting with the strigoi version of the guy Victor had been impersonating. The same guy who was currently talking to the Moroi councel.

I turned my eyes toward his brother, Robert, who was now openly staring at me. My thoughts went to Adrian... Why hadn't he realized that this man was obviously not Lissa? But I realized to things at the same moment: Adrian had been drunk and smoking, and Robert's aura, like any spirit users, would have been gold. Oh, Victor was good.

What I didn't understand was why he had bother to help me. I yanked back harshly, removing Victor's hand from my mouth and looked at him.

He was looking... shit, he looked really healthy. I don't know how he did it, but he was looking just like the man I had known, back when I had actually liked him and not realized he was a complete psychopath who was trying to use my best friend.

"Now, Rosemarie, do not be startled, and don't do anything rash. We are here to help you," Victor said in what I supposed he thought was a soothing tone. And while he had helped us, indirectly, bring Dimitri back, I still felt creeped out being with him and his lunatic brother.

"Oh really, you want to help me? Then why the fuck were you hiding your identities? You know, you guys are very poor actors. You were nothing like Dimitri and Lissa," I said, packing in some patented Rose Hathaway bravado. But Victor just smirked.

"Oh, really?" he asked, and then he did a pretty bad imitation of... well, me. "_Liss, what is wrong with you? You have been acting strange the whole time you have been here. Are you okay? I want to hear from Lissa. _Yes, you definitely had it all figured out," Victor commented lightly, leaving me more worked up then ever.

"What do you want?" I hissed. He chuckled.

"Ahh, Rosemarie, you really need to learn to be patient," he said. He paused for a moment, and then turned to look at me with those eyes that were startlingly like Lissa's. "We want to help you," he said, once again trying to use a soothing voice and failing completely. Or was he? I relaxed slightly against the seat, though I knew my body would be able to react in an instant if they did something. Besides, they were just two Moroi, whereas I was a kickass dhampir guardian. Minus the guardian part, until we figure out who killed the queen, that is.

"Oh, you want to help me do you? Well, I don't feel very helped right now," I snapped. Victor just rolled his eyes.

"Come now, Rosemarie, you know that is not true. You are here, instead of that jail cell, aren't you?" he asked, bringing me up short. Yes, that was true, I was "free'' for all intents and purposes, but come on. I was also hanging out with one of the guys I dislike the most _and _he had tricked me into thinking he was a certain Russian god that I love.

"Why?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"That is for me to know and you to not find out. It is enough, though, that I know about Vasilisa's sister and I have a pretty good hunch who killed the queen," Victor said reasonably. Or at least he seemed to think so. But I was in complete shock, with my mouth gaping open as I stared at him.

"You know about Lissa's... It's a sister?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Of course. And I am pretty sure I know who and where she is, but of course maybe you have some theories yourself?" Victor asked me, lifting one eyebrow like every single person in this whole damn world seemed to be able to do. Except me.

I sighed and thought it through. If Victor had any leads- which I definitely had none- then would it really hurt me to go with him and see where this leads? And anyways, like I had thought about before, I was a lot tougher, quicker, and deadlier than either of them were. If things got bad I could be gone in a second. I turned to look Victor straight in the eye.

"I will go with you, but only because I want to help Lissa. But before any of us does anything, you need to tell me what is going on. Now." I was firm and my voice was cold, and Victor's eyes widened a bit. But before he could answer I was sucked back into Lissa's head.

"I can't believe Rose got out. She had an escape plan this whole time and she didn't bother to share it with us," Lissa said, bitterness flowing through her words. And her mind was in pretty much the same state; she was bitter because I had left her behind. Of course, that had been unknowingly, but still. She was upset and worried because she didn't know where I was. She took a sick satisfaction in that at least everyone else seemed as clueless as her. And that was when I realized that nearly everyone I knew was gathered together in her suite to discuss this.

Christian was sitting next to her with his arm around her waist and a tired look on his face. Adrian was sitting next to the window with a cigarette in his mouth and the most confused and thoughtful expression I had ever seen. Dimitri was standing on the other side of the couch, as far away from Adrian as he could get, or so it seemed to me. Lissa, of course, was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice much of anything.

Alberta was standing with my mom and Stan, of all people. Abe was lounging in a chair with a slightly amused expression on his face, whimsical almost. Mia was standing with Eddie near the door, both looking somber. There were some more people that were there, but Lissa wasn't facing them and wouldn't focus on them so I had no idea who they were.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, she didn't tell anyone what was going on, which is why we are all here," my mom said with a trace of worry and sadness in her voice. And it did give Lissa a bit of comfort.

"Personally, I think it is absolutely brilliant. It is amazing that Rose was able to get out without being seen," Abe, my mobster/lawyer/pirate father said. He had an amused smile on his face. Lissa glared at him, annoyed with his light take on this whole fiasco, as she appeared to think of it as.

"Adrian, you were the one who realized Rose was gone first. Tell us exactly what happened," Lissa ordered. Adrian took another puff of smoke and then lazely looked over at everyone from his seat next to the window.

"Well, I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to go see Rose, because obviously I wasn't getting through to her in her dreams, so maybe if I showed up in person she would listen. And besides, she can't escape from me by waking up. So I got up and went outside. Of course, it was really light outside with the sun and all, so I was kind of weak. And then of course I had been drinking and when I got outside I ran into you, Christian, and Dimitri as well as few other guards following you guys," Adrian said, addressing Lissa. Confusion coursed through her at his last words, enough to nearly obliterate every other feeling.

"Uhh, Adrian, I hate to tell you this, but you have been drinking way too much. It has completely fried your brain," Christian said, his blue eyes sparkling as he held back laughter. Dimitri, however, had a thoughtful and concerned look on his face.

"No, you guys were definitely there. Look, remember? I asked if you wanted to come with me, you said..." he trailed off as overwhelming silence greeted him. "Come on, you have to remember," Adrian said, his eyes looking from Lissa, to Christian, to Dimitri and back again to Lissa.

"Well, all I can tell you is I saw you guys there. And though the auras were dim because of the influence of the drinking and smoking, and being weak because of the sun, you had a gold aura..." he trailed off as something struck him. "Oh shit!" he yelled, darting from his seat, his eyes nearly wild.

"What, Adrian?" Lissa asked, also standing up. But Adrian wasn't looking at her. He was staring at Christian.

"Your aura was dark. Nearly black," Adrian whispered. He reached up and grasped his hair in frustration. "I was looking right at her and I was too fucking messed up to notice! I should have asked more questions, I should have-" Adrian cut himself off and stared in horror, his eyes seeing past everyone at some unknown thing. But then his eyes glanced at Lissa and then Dimitri and back again. And he voiced what everyone there was probably thinking.

"But if it wasn't you and Belikov with her, then who was it?" Adrian asked.

All chaos broke out, everyone talking at once. In one swift motion Dimitri was out the door with a concerned and focused expression on her face which Lissa noted with satisfaction. She felt that if Dimitri was working to find me, he would find me.

I pulled out of her head and stared at Victor.

"What have you done?" I asked with horror.

"What did you see, Rosemarie?" Victor asked with interest. I smirked.

"Your little stunt was not perfect. They now that I am gone, and Adrian released I was Christian," I said with satisfaction. And I also felt pride in Adrian. He had been able to figure out what had happened when no one else had been able to, even if it hadn't been the whole thing. He had at least reserved some semblence of sanity in his drugged up state that he had been able to remember a small detail like "Christian's" aura.

"Well, I guess it might have been a good idea to have Robert conceal your aura, since it so very distinct, but no one thinks of everything," Victor said with a sigh. But after a moment he shrugged and clapped his hands together. "Oh well. Anything else?"

"They are going to be looking for me, you know," I told him snarkily. Victor nodded.

"Oh yes, but the only problem is, which side will find you first?" he asked.

**Okay, so when I first thought up this chapter I had really imagined something that would explain the breakout more fully. And I definitely didn't imagine that scene with everyone. Of course, we all know that Adrian is smart... ;) Yay Adrian! Anyway, Rose is not going to go for very long without getting answers, so very soon I will explain what happened with the breakout. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, I just wanted to say that seeing so many people reading and putting it on their story alerts and reviewing... it really brings a smile to my face, so thank you! It really just makes me so happy. Anyway, enjoy and please review! Thank you! And I don't own anything.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Eight

I stared at Victor for a moment, and then slapped him hard across the face. Or, at least I imagined I did. Instead I sighed.

"How did you break me out?" I asked, deciding to skim over his last comment and just get some desperately wanted answers. He smiled slyly.

"Rose, that is an interesting story," Victor said slowly, the smile lingering on his face. I frowned.

"Great. Now spill," I snapped. Victor nodded.

"Well, it is quite simple really. I am assuming that you did not hear of the breakout from Tarasov?" Victor asked with a cocked eyebrow in my direction. I stared at him. Was he losing his mind?

"Of course I did. I was the one who figured out how to get you out," I commented. He shook his head with a chuckle.

"No, not that one. The most recent one," he said. I shook my head.

"Well, there was a recent breakout and about ten of the mental ward prisoners escaped," Victor explained. I held myself back from commenting and just let him continue talking. "As I am sure Vasilisa did when she stopped us from going through the mental section of the prison, I realized that there had to be some spirit users there, and so with the help of my brother and a few of my loyal guardians who I picked up along the way I helped the spirit users escape. And before you ask, Robert was able to tell me which ones were spirit and which ones were purely insane." He paused for a moment as if to collect his thoughts.

"I knew about Vasilisa's sibling through her father, Eric, who was obviously aware of the... situation. Vasilisa was about three when Eric's illegitimate daughter was born, which means she should be about fifteen years old at this time. She is a Moroi, and Eric said that she had enough Dragomir blood that should the occassion ever arise, she would be able to step in and allow Lissa her place on the councel. You see, her father was secretly meeting with Rhonda, the court psychic." I nodded; I knew very well who Rhonda was, as I had been to see her twice now. "She predicted something was going to happen to them, all except Lissa. There was no time limit at which they would go, or really any guarentee, but Eric wanted to make sure everything was in place. He heard the prediction about two years after Lissa was born, and followed it by going out and spending time in Las Vegas. He met a beautiful Moroi woman there, one of the dancers, and she was more than willing to spend time with Eric. And so he ensured that should he impregnate her, there child would have enough Dragomir blood to carry on the line. Now, Eric had promised to tell me who she was but as time went by and they were still fine, it slipped from his mind. He continued sending money to the dancer and his daughter, but otherwise was completely and utterly devoted to Vasilisa and Andre. And then the accident occured, and it was too late," Victor said and I actually saw sadness on his face. As if he cared about the Dragomirs for anything other than their usefulness to him.

"Anyway, with the help of the spirit users we were able to make enough rings to disguise them. And then it was very easy to get into the court. We had multiple rings with different people; we had one for Dimitri, Christian, Vasilisa, Adrian, Abe, Janine, Tasha, Alberta, Mikhail, and many others. And we carried them around with us, switching them around if we saw someone we were impersonating at the moment. For the most part we just tried to keep a low profile. The day of your escape was the first time anyone actually stopped us, unluckily enough for us. And with the help of the spirit users, we were able to compell the guards to leave and forget what had happened, so that when questioned they will only remember all of them having to use the bathroom extremely badly, all at the same time of course," Victor chuckled. I rolled my eyes, but I had to admit, it was genius. I don't think even I could have come up with such a brilliant and fairly fail proof plan. Of course, this was coming from the guy who had come up with the plan involving Lissa, so anything less than amazing would have been surprising.

"So, why did you go through all that trouble? Without me, it would be easier to access Lissa." I didn't want to admit it, but it was true. If he had just let me die there, then he would have had a much clearer shot at Lissa. If nothing else, it would take everyone a lot longer to find her should she go missing. I tensed, half expecting Victor to throw me out of the car immediately and let me die in the road, but he just shrugged.

"If I kill you, Vasilisa will never do anything for me." I started to argue but he put his hands up, silencing me. "Please, let me finish. I realize that Vasilisa is never going to listen to something I say again, or at least not about anything important. She hates me and is sickened and frightened by the sight of me. I understand that too. But you have to realize that as I have said before, Vasilisa is a vehicle for change. She is on track to become a very influential person, and a lot of her ideas are considered radical and can help save our race; much as mine were, if you remember. Vasilisa, whether it is spirit or natural charisma or a mixture of both, she gets people to listen to her. And she can bring around change. The Moroi are so amazed with her that I heard talk of her becoming the next queen, but without a quorum there is absolutely no way that any of that could happen. She has to get on the councel, if nothing else. And I figure, by helping you, you will owe me. Because even if you would rather have rotted in that cell until the moment you die rather then get help from me, you will appreciate me helping Vasilisa. Because I know that you would do anything to help your dear friend. Isn't that right, Rosemarie?" he asked with a coy smile.

Inside I felt a mixture of emotions. But deep down, no matter how much I wanted to punch Victor in the face for his games and tricks, I knew he was right. I would have rather died than except his help for myself, but he was giving me the opportunity to help Lissa. And that was something that I would never be able to repay.

"What exactly are you expecting to happen if Lissa gets on the councel? What are you expecting to gain for your troubles?" I asked him suspiciously, my eyes narrowed. He chuckled.

"Always looking for an alterior motive. Of course, I would like the pleasure of seeing Eric's work, as you may call it, go to waste. He did not take cheating on his wife lightly, no matter what anyone may say. I heard that some man in Las Vegas was talking about Eric. And yes, Eric Dragomir liked to look at the women. Who doesn't? And he enjoyed spending time there, but he was doing what he felt was right. In a sense, of course. I wouldn't want everything he did to go to waste," Victor repeated with a martyr expression on his face.

"Oh really? You just want to help your dearly departed friend?" I hissed. "Did you think about him when you were torturing his daughter?" My voice had started off low, but I was now screaming into his face. Victor just looked vaguely amused.

"Now, Rosemare, we will not go into past grievances, because I fear we will never agree about it." I opened my mouth to cut him off, but he stopped me. "Of course, I would also like it if now and then you would just, oh, whisper into Vasilisa's ear some of my ideas. She listens to you, and in any case her ideas are similar to mine. And in the end, we all want the same thing: the continuance of our races."

"If you really think that I-" he cut me off from what was sure to be a spectacular rant.

"I believe you will. Because when I not only give your dearest friend her rightful spot on the councel but also free you and restore you to your guardian status, you will be feeling a bit more charitable towards me." Once again I started to argue, but he shook his head, a whimsical smile on his face. "Ah, ah, please. No more talking for now."

I stared at my hands, which were still bandaged up from my recent spirit induced craze. Would I really go with this man? My thoughts immediately turned to Lissa and I cursed. Yes, yes I would.

**Okay, so I hope that clears a few things up. Or maybe not, but it was a lot of fun to write. And kind of interesting, because Victor did a lot of the talking and explaining. Rose kind of just occassionally butted in to argue with him and Victor would shush her to continue. Please review, because it makes it easier for me to see how you are reacting and what your thoughts are. Did that seem realistic? Well, anyways, hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So I got on here and I looked at this story and I was like- OMG I haven't updated since Sunday! Wow, I can't believe it has been that long. Internet was done yesterday due to some unknown cause, so I wasn't able to update. So, anyways, enjoy and please review!**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Nine

"Where are we going first?" I asked him sullenly after nearly two hours of silence. Victor chuckled.

"That is for us to know and you to find out," Victor said. I frowned. Did he really think I would take that for an answer?

"You know, I think right now would be a really great time for me to find out," I snapped. Victor looked like he was about to mention something about patience being a virtue or some shit, so I cut him off. "Just tell me where the fuck we are going."

"We, Rosemarie, are heading towards Las Vegas, where we are going to do some detective work. Robert and some of the other spirit users have prepared rings for us to wear while we are here. And just to let you know, my guards will be our guardians, while we are going to be-" I cut him off.

"If you say married, or together, or anything similar to either of those words I am going to slowly rip your bodies to pieces and make you watch," I growled. Victor chuckled.

"Now, Rosemarie, again I would like to point out the value of patience. If you had let me finish my sentence you would have felt no need to threaten me," Victor said lightly. I glowered at him. "We are going to be brother and sister, which gives you the advantage of being able to make snarky comments to me and no one will suspect a thing. Brilliant, is it not?" Victor asked. I pursed my lips, but no matter how much I didn't want to admit it, it actually made a lot of sense. It was pretty brilliant.

Instead of doing something I would rather eat my own foot then do, I just stared at him. And after a moment, Victor got the hint.

"I am going to talk to some people I know, including some of the dancers who will be more than accomidating. You, Rosemarie, will be with me, of course. I want you to feel that you can trust me," Victor explained. I shook my head in astonishment. He wanted me to trust him? Guess he should of thought of that a few months ago when he was off torturing Lissa.

"Well, unfortunately for you, my trust went down the drain when you had your daughter put dead animals in my best friends room and then tortured her to make her help you," I hissed. Victor just shrugged.

"Rosemarie, as I have said before, we are never going to agree on that. So I think it best we just leave that subject alone," Victor murmured. Instead of snapping Victor's neck like I wanted to, I turned to Robert. He was staring straight at me.

"Did you succeed in your task?" he asked quietly. I nodded. "Who gave the gift of life? Gentle Girl or Drunken Sod? For I remember them both well, and I believe it was Gentle Girl. Was it not?" Robert asked.

"It was, ah... gentle girl," I confirmed. He nodded and turned to the window.

"I am surprised you would allow your friend to do such a dangerous thing. You seemed pretty upset when it was suggested the last time I was with you," Robert mumbled. I frowned.

"She went behind my back and charmed the stake. And then she and her boyfriend pushed me out of the way when I was about to stake D- him, and her boyfriend put a ring of fire around them so I couldn't get in," I explained. From the other side of me I heard Victor chuckle.

"Oh, Vasilisa sure does have a spark in her, and it sounds like Christian does as well. They will make a good match," Victor said. I whirled around.

"Lissa doesn't need your approval, nor does she want it," I hissed. Victor had an amused smile on his face as he looked at me.

"I understand that completely, Rosemarie." For a moment there was sadness in his eyes, but it went away too quickly for me to really inspect it.

"When are we getting to Las Vegas?" I asked wearily.

"Oh, a few more hours should suffice," he said evenly, turning his face back to the window.

With the oh so happy thought of a few more hours stuck in the car with Victor and his crazed brother, I slipped into Lissa's head.

She was sitting in her room, completely alone. Her thoughts were whirling around her like a tornado, taking everything in its path.

Guilt was consuming her. And it wasn't just the guilt she had mentioned earlier. This was different. She felt guilty because... I sighed. She felt guilty because she couldn't figure out how to dream walk. But more importantly she couldn't get the bond to work both ways so she could find me. And after Adrian's revelation, her stress had gone through the ceiling, complete with a meltdown and screaming that had sent everyone scurrying out of the room. She looked sadly at the broken vase in the corner. There was a large wet spot with pieces of broken glass in it, and stems with the petals surrounding them.

This wasn't her and she realized it. She grimaced as she thought of me; I was the one was supposed to flip out and get so angry that I threw things. Underneath the guilt was this pain that had been throbbing inside of her ever since I had left. But at least now the anger and bitterness had faded away. She just felt ovwerwhelming guilt and pain and worry.

I wished I could take away the unhappiness, but this had nothing to do with spirit. This was all pure emotion, something that would only go away when I returned.

There was a knock at the door and Lissa wiped her eyes before answering. Standing in the doorway was Christian with a pitying look on his face.

He instantly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his body. A sob erupted from Lissa; what would she do without him?

"Christian, promise me you will never leave me," she cried, her hands grasping the back of his shirt tightly, so tightly her fingers were actually starting to ache from the effort. Lissa's eyes were closed as the tears oozed out, but I had a feeling Christian had a sympathetic, sad look on his face. His arms tightened around almost suffocatingly, but Lissa didn't mind.

"I won't ever leave you, Liss," Christian murmured. "Why would you even think that?" he blurted out. Lissa pulled back to look at him, taking him in. He had an almost apologetic look on his face, one that was hardly ever present. He seemed to regret his words as Lissa sobbed again.

"Rose promised she wouldn't leave me ever, but she isn't here now, and I don't even know where she is," Lissa mumbled through her tears. Christian enveloped her in her arms again.

"Where ever Rose is, whatever she is doing, I can almost a hundred percent say she is doing it for you. Because no matter what, she wouldn't leave you for a good reason. She is probably out there right now, killing Strigoi and fighting to help you and making smart ass comments," Christian whispered, trying to soothe her. Lissa was slightly calmed by his words. "You know she is checking on you," Christian said. Lissa nodded.

"I know she is, even if I can't feel her. I just wish I could," she said, frustration coloring her tone. She could feel Christian nodding.

"I know it hurts, but you know Rose. One day she is just going to show up at the gates with a smirk on her face, hundreds of dead Strigoi and the murderer of the queen in tow. Everything will be absolutely fine. Rose will take care of it," Christian said. Lissa smiled through her tears.

"You're right, Christian. I know Rose is there, and watching over me. I just-" she trailed off and kissed Christian tenderly. "Thank you," she murmured, and she kissed him again.

Her upset feelings were being pushed down by a wave of very different emotions that had me pulling out of her head as quickly as possible.

I missed Lissa with everything in me. I missed Dimitri even though he pushed me away. I missed Adrian because he gave me all the love and support I wasn't getting from Dimitri. And I loved him back, though it wasn't that all consumning love I felt for Dimitri. I missed Abe and Janine, because though they weren't there when I really wanted them, when I was younger, but they were here now and I loved them, though there were days I didn't like them. I even missed Christian, though I would never admit it to fire boy. It was like for the first time I was realizing just how many people I cared about. I cursed. Of course it would happen when I am about to lose it all.

With these happy thoughts in my head, I drifted off to sleep.

**Okay, sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I hope you enjoyed! I should be getting the next chapter out... tomorrow maybe. It is my sister's birthday, so it is really going to depend on what happens. Most likely the next chapter will be out Thursday. Sorry! Again, hope you enjoyed and please review! I love hearing what you have to say!**


	10. Chapter 10

**So before I begin writing, I just want to once again thank everyone who is reviewing! I know I have said this before, but it really brings a smile to my face to see all of them. So thank you! Anyway, please enjoy and review! If I remember correctly, we left off with Rose falling asleep... :D**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Ten

Dimitri had his callused hands covering my eyes as he led me through a hallway and down the stairs. My other senses were heightened as I tried to feel my way along without my sight.

"Can't you just tell me where we are going?" I complained. Dimtri chuckled softly, and my heart fluttered. He had such an entrancing laugh.

"No, it is a surprise, Roza," Dimitri answered. I grimaced. I hated surprises and he knew it. As a matter a fact, I could swear _everyone _knew it after the last time they tried to surprise me. My birthday had included a toss in the pool; and then the throwing of multiple people into aforementioned pool. Lissa had smiled serenely from the sidelines, watching as I picked up various people and tossed them in. That is, until I started over to her.

Her light green eyes had widened and she had put her hands in front of her, as if to ward me off. I smiled recklessly.

"Liss, you know I am way stronger than you," I reminded her. She started to answer, but instead a different voice spoke.

"Yes, but I'm not, and I think Rosie needs to join her wet friends in the pool." I had been so focused on Lissa that I had let my surroundings slip away.

Mason tucked me under his arm. I planned to make my escape when he tossed me; maybe if I threw my body into it I would land on the other side. But instead of letting go of me to throw me in, Mason predicted my thoughts and jumped in with me in his arms.

The flashback ended, leaving me with a peculiar sense. Had that really happened? But of course it had... I tripped over the lip of a door, making me focus again. And then the blindfold was whipped off.

I had about three seconds to take in the scene before me. All of the smiling faces, the decorations, the cake. And noticeably there was no pool. But then it all disappeared, to be replaced by a white sand beach with aquamarine waves rolling in and out.

I could tell that this was another one of those Adrian dreams. I also had a pretty good idea what was coming. Adrian was going to be asking questions, and I had to think up some answers quickly.

I tried to remember everyone who had been at that meeting in Lissa's suite so that I wouldn't come up with a brilliant lie and have it squashed by Adrian. And then Adrian himself appeared from behind a shade of trees, and for a moment I forgot all of my problems.

He looked so hot, with his hair purposely messy and his clothes more laid back then usual. I walked forward to give him a hug, but he stopped me, his face unusually somber.

"Rose, where the hell are you?" he asked. I shrugged, trying to think of the last location I had seen through the tinted windows of Victor's car.

"I'll be completely honest for once and say I have no fucking idea. V-" I cut myself off. I still hadn't figured out a plan.

"Well, do you know where you are headed?" Adrian asked, a hint of frustration coloring his tone. I hesitated. Should I tell him?

I knew there was no way I could tell him and he wouldn't follow me. And if I was honest, it would be nice to have someone around who I actually liked. I decided to deflect the question for a moment so I could think it through.

I sidled up next to him and threw my arms around his neck, my body pressed up against him. My mouth was grazing his ear as I spoke.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" I whispered huskily.

I expected Adrian to succumb to my feminine charm, but he pulled away with a pained look on his face.

"Rose, this is serious!" Adrian yelled. I was taken aback. He must be really worried.

"Look, I am okay. I was not kidnapped or anything, I can fight for myself, and if things get bad I can always run," I said, trying to soothe him. But it seemed as if my words had the opposite affect.

"Who are you with that things could get bad enough you would have to run?" Adrian asked slowly. I bit my lip. "Rose!" he yelled. I shrugged.

"I don't think I should tell you that because I know you would tell everyone else and everyone, including you, would completely flip out. So for the time being, they are unknown," I told him. He threw his hands up into the air, exasperated.

"Oh, that is just great. Yes, of course, let's just say something like that and not tell me what you meant, because by all means I should get a little _less_ sleep at night!" he spat. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I didn't want to hurt him, but if I was going to tell him anything he would have to promise me not to tell anyone else.

"Adrian, how are things at court?" I asked quietly, once again trying to deflect the question. Adrian looked wearily at me.

"Everyone is in a panic because the supposed murderer of the queen is out on the loose again. Everyone is getting questioned to see if they know anything. We were all taken up before the councel and-" I cut him off.

"I saw Lissa being questioned, so I kind of got the jist of that. What are they planning on doing about it?" I asked.

"Well, at this point they are planning on sending a few times of guardians out to look for you in predesignated locations. Places you have been or might want to return to. The Academy is on high alert, and they are sending a group there. They are sending a group to Russia to keep an eye out. They are sending a group to Spokane-" I interuppted again.

"Why the fuck would I want to go back to Spokane?" I hissed. Some of the worst memories were from there; my first two Strigoi kills and Mason's death had been the result of a trip there.

"Look, I am just telling you what they said. The last group is going to Vegas," he said. My eyes widened and I cursed. His eyes widened hopefully.

"Is that where you are going, Rose?" he asked.

"If I tell you anything, then you have to promise... no, swear that you will keep the information to yourself. Otherwise I am going to leave you in the dark like the rest of them," I said, although inside I corrected myself. It wasn't as if I purposefully left them in the dark. Adrian hesitated.

"Rose, I think that there are a lot of people who want to know that. Lissa, Christian, and a few other people are waiting for me right now so I can tell them what you said," he told me.

This new, responsible, somber, serious Adrian was really getting on my nerves. And I missed the old Adrian, who was easy going about everything. I turned away with a careless shrug.

"All right, I won't say anything," Adrian said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned back around.

"Swear it, Adrian. And if you break that swear I will come back and pummel the crap out of you," I warned. He nodded.

"I swear."

"Fine, I am going to Las Vegas." I watched his reaction, but he kept a poker face.

"And who are you with?" he asked. I bit my lip. "Little Dhamphir, how bad could it be?" he asked, more relaxed now that he knew where I was going.

"Fine. Victor and Robert are with me, along with a few other spirit users," I mumbled. Adrian's eyes flashed, and that ease was gone again.

"You are with Victor. And Robert. And some other spirit users?" he asked slowly, as if he had to have heard me wrong. I nodded.

"Victor Dashkov and his spirit using brother, Robert." Again, I nodded.

"And some other spirit users?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Jeez, I knew all that alcohol was bad for you, but I think it has literally fried your brain. Yes. Victor and Robert got me out of jail and are currently taking me to Las Vegas to... take care of some things," I said vaguely. Adrian shook his head, with his lips pressed tightly together.

"No. You are not going to just tell me you are "taking care of some things." What things?" he demanded. I frowned.

"Some things that will help everyone in the end." Adrian once again shook his head. And then he looked straight into my eyes.

"Tell me."

"I am looking for Lissa's sib- sister," I told him without thinking. And then I realized what had happened.

"You used compulsion on me!" I accused him. But it appeared he was in too much shock for him to even come up with some response. His eyes were wide as he stared at me.

"Lissa has a sister?" he asked deadpan. I nodded.

"Or, at least that is what Victor said," I told him, finally just deciding to let him in on everything. It was a little too late now, and would the details really matter? He knew the important part.

I sat down on the beach, lazily stretching my legs in front of me. After a moment, Adrian sat down beside me.

"And you believe him?" Adrian asked. After a long moment, I nodded.

"Yes, I do. And anyways, it is more than I have to go on. Look, Adrian, your aunt left me a note which I got through Ambrose. It told me about Lissa's sibling, but nothing else. No details, nothing. Just telling me I had to find this person, because it could give Lissa a spot on the councel," I told him. And for the second time that... day? evening?... Adrian was actually surprised. Like, majorly surprised.

"My aunt wrote you a letter telling you about Lissa's long lost sibling?" he asked. I nodded. "And Victor broke you out of jail to help you?" he asked. Again, I nodded. I was starting to realize how absolutely insane it all sounded, which was echoed by Adrian a few moments later.

"Holy shit." I nodded, for once keeping my own mouth shut and letting someone esle do the talking. "Jesus, Rose, you really got yourself into a mess here. My aunt, Victor... And you are heading to Las Vegas?" Adrian confirmed. I nodded.

There was something going on behind that pretty face of his, but I couldn't quite figure out what. And before I could ask him about it, I felt a tug away.

"You are waking up, little damphir," Adrian told me with a grin on his face. And before anything else could be said or done, I was awake.

I couldn't quite figure out what had woken me up. But I knew that I had to check in on Lissa to see what Adrian told them. And I had to check now.

**So there is chapter ten! Wow, ten chapters I can't believe it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Hopefully another chapter will be coming later today, but we will have to see. I have my first job interview today, and I am babysitting later... If I am not too tired when I get home, I will update. Anyway, again I hope you enjoyed. Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, it is really amazing how much the visitors and hits spikes up when I actually post something. :) LOL. Anyway, just wanted to say that I know it was really bad of Adrian to compell her, but it wasn't like Rose was going to spill without him doing it... In my opinion, it was all Rose's fault. :D Nah, just kidding, but someone needed to know what was going on. Of course, now that Adrian knows it will be interesting to see what he does with that information. Like, if he decides to follower her, I wonder how he will do it without totally alerting everybody, you know? Some things I have to decide after this chapter. So, anyways, enjoy and please review because I love hearing what you have to say!**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Eleven

I woke up immediately, my heart pounding in my chest. I glanced outside at the scenery, which was still flashing quickly past us. Victor and Robert were both asleep.

I slipped into Lissa's head quickly, and she was staring at Adrian. Anticipation, fear, excitement all coursed through her as she watched his movements. Lissa wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings; she was completely focused on Adrian. But I could discern a few things without her attention.

Christian was standing next to her with his arm around her waist. There was a worried look on his expression, and if I didn't know any better I would swear he was actually worried for me. Oh, how things had changed. Of course, I knew that some of that concern was for Lissa, for which I was grateful. Because as always he was standing by her side, so no matter if the news was good or bad, he would be there when she fell. Of course, the news better be bad, if Adrian had any sense in him. Because if he let slip anything, then there would actually be a murder on my hands.

On Lissa's other side stood Dimitri, tall and quiet. His eyebrows were knitted together as he watched Adrian's every movement. His hands were tucked neatly into his jean pockets, but I could tell he was uneasy.

For a moment a spark of hope flared up in me. Could that concern, that complete worry be for me? But then I remembered who he was standing next to and the hope vanished. It was Lissa that he regarded as his savior. He was probably only their to give her support.

The rational part of my mind, or irrational depending on who I was talking to, wanted to argue against that thought, but I pushed it away and once again focused on Lissa.

Adrian opened his eyes and Lissa's stomach twisted some more, from too many emotions that I couldn't even figure them all out. I felt a stab of guilt in my own stomach. Lissa had really pinned everything on Adrian finding out where I was so she could join me. But I hoped that Adrian wouldn't tell her. I was crushing her, and Lissa didn't even know it.

"So, what did she say?" Lissa blurted out, anxiety and excitement coloring her voice. And yet, despite her desperation to hear something, she also was hesitent to get answers. At this moment she contained all the hope in the world that Adrian had found out where I was and that soon enough she would know, too. But if Adrian hadn't found out... that hope would be gone and she would have to find some other way to find me.

The guilt was clenching my stomach so tightly I felt I was going to throw up. But I kept myself in Lissa's head, knowing that I had to hear what Adrian said.

"Adrian, what did she say?" Lissa repeated. Adrian's lips tightened, and for a moment he stared at Lissa as if he could see past her. As if he could see me. And then he was focusing on Lissa, and I could see a flash of pity run through his eyes.

"She asked about court stuff," Adrian responded hesitently. Lissa frowned, momentarily sidetracked.

"What did you tell her?" she asked. Adrian shrugged.

"The truth. I told her that people were in a panic. That those who knew her were worried, that we wanted to know where she was," Adrian spoke the last words slowly, as if he could drag it out long enough so he wouldn't have to ultimately lie to everyone.

"Did you find out?" Lissa asked, practically bouncing up and down. For a moment all she felt was this blinding hope and complete confidence that I would tell Adrian so Lissa could join me. Stab, stab, stab.

This time the pity was less concealable. Any pretense of lightness in Adrian disappeared as he stared at Lissa for a few loaded moments. Lissa didn't notice; she was too wrapped up in her own emotions. But I could see the hurt in his eyes that he had to lie. I could see the excitement about... something. But Lissa's emotions peeked and I was forced to pay attention to her again. If I hadn't already been in her head of my own free will, I would have been sucked in already.

"No. I'm sorry, Lissa, but she wouldn't tell me," Adrian said sadly. He was putting on a pretty good act; he was showing sadness, frustration, anger, depression, all of the emotions he should be feeling at that moment. Lissa's emotions instantly spiraled downward, that hope shattering into a thousand pieces. But there was one person who he could not fool.

"You're lying."

The words hung in the air for a moment, almost as if everyone was trying to figure out who had said it. And then slowly their eyes turned towards Dimitri, who was glowering at Adrian. Adrian's eyes narrowed.

"You think so?" he snapped. I felt proud of him for a moment, but Lissa's eyes turned towards Dimitri once more and... I could feel myself getting wrapped up in him all over again.

Lissa's feelings were almost maternal as she looked at him, as they had been ever since she had saved him with the spirit-enfused stake. But on top of that she felt concern and confusion. How could Dimitri think Adrian was lying? She felt confident that Adrian would tell her where I was if he knew. And yet... Her jade eyes turned towards Adrian with curiosity. Could Dimitri actually be on to something?

"Yes, I think so. Are you honestly telling us that in a dream that _you _control, you were unable to get the information out of Rose?" Dimitri asked. Adrian slowly grinned.

"Well, you know how Rose is. She is as stubborn as can be, and she really knows how to distract you," Adrian said.

I wished for a moment that I could take control of Lissa's body. Because then I could strangle Adrian for his words. I didn't want anyone to know where I was or what I was doing, but that didn't mean he had to make me sound like a slut or a blood whore.

Lissa was shocked, and suddenly I got a much better view of the room. Abe and Janine were also there. As she looked from them to Christian to Dimitri and back, she saw shock on all of their faces. What Lissa had not noticed was the murderous look in Dimitri's eyes.

If Dimitri had decided to lunge forward and strangle Adrian, he could have done it. Janine was the only other guardian there... I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen any guardians for Dimitri, and I at least had the pleasure of noting they were starting to trust him again. Of course, if he killed the Queen's great-nephew, there might be some problems. Of course, at that moment I wanted to do the same thing, so I really couldn't blame Dimitri.

Dimitri showed restraint and only pinned Adrian against the wall. Adrian still had a lazy grin on his face, but his eyes were wide.

"Tell me what you know," Dimitri growled.

"Look, I told you she wouldn't tell me," Adrian hissed. Dimitri just leaned forward until his face was only inches away.

"If you really loved Rose then you would have done everything possible to find out where she was. You would have done everything _in your power_," Dimitri emphasized the last three words, and everyone understood his meaning. "To find out what she was doing." Adrian had the decency to look disgusted, even though he actually had done that.

"You want me to use compulsion on Rose? Look, maybe you were okay with doing that when you were with her, but I'm not going to take advantage of her like that."

It took me a moment to realize what Adrian was referring to. Because he wouldn't mention my time in Russia to Dimitri, would he? And anyways, Dimitri hadn't ever used compulsion on me. Sure, he kept me under his influence by biting me, but that wasn't compulsion.

Dimitri's features were contorted into a pained expression. He looked like he was trying to do multiple things at once. It was also pretty evident he wanted to kill Adrian. But exercising self control that I would never, ever have, Dimitri stepped away.

"I never compelled Rose," he said quietly as he sat down on the couch.

Lissa felt a stab of pity for Dimitri. And then something unexpected happened.

She turned on Adrian.

"How could you even say that? I know you both are in love with Rose, even if _you_," she pointed at Dimitri, "Won't admit it, but do you have to add petty insults into the mix? We might actually be able to get some answers if you two would cooperate together. Adrian, I don't want to hear another word about Dimitri's time as a Strigoi, understand?" Lissa cried. She was already in pain from Adrian's confession earlier that he didn't know anything. All that hope, gone from her. And now they were fighting? She felt Adrian's words had been completely uncalled for. And just like that, the tension drifted out of the room. Like any bad smell, it wasn't gone. But it had dimmed to a bearable ammount.

"Now, Adrian, please, if you know anything you have to tell us," Lissa pleaded. Adrian hesitated, bit his lip, and then shook his head.

"I am sorry, Lissa. I don't know anything," he admitted. And Lissa, being the trusting, good person she is, believed him.

The guilt was tearing me up inside, and I felt tears pricking me eyes. But I kept myself with Lissa for a little longer.

"All right," Lissa sighed in defeat. "We will have to check in on her soon, to see if we can find out more. Adrian, if you would please keep an eye out for Rose. The next time she falls asleep, you need to try and get it out of here. Do anything you can, even," she hesitated. She felt her own guilt, but after a moments indecision she plunged on. "Even if it means using compulsion."

I decided I had seen enough. Adrian was leaving the room, guilt written plainly on his face even if Lissa didn't see it. Abe and Janine were conversing quietly as they walked out, both oddly silent during the whole exchange. I wished I could hear what they were saying, but they were talking too quietly. Christian walked into the bedroom, and Lissa sat down next to Dimitri on the couch. And just like that my attention was piqued. I wanted to see what they said.

"Dimitri," Lissa said hesitantly. Dimitri refused to look up. He had his head in his hands.

"Adrian was just upset that he doesn't know anything, just like the rest of us. And you know Rose, she always tries to keep everyone else out of trouble," Lissa said, trying to comfort him. But inside she was breaking, too.

"I just get the feeling that Adrian isn't telling us something. Something big," Dimitri said hesitantly as he picked his head up out of his hands to stare at Lissa. Lissa frowned.

"Adrian would have told us if he knew something," she argued softly. Dimitri shook his head.

"He doesn't think I should know anything," Dimitri admitted. "And maybe he is right. I shouldn't involve myself in her life, because I hurt her, multiple times." Lissa was appalled.

"Dimitri, how can you even say that? You have more right than most people to know what is going on. And I know you still love her." Dimitri started to interrupt, but Lissa shook her head. "Don't try to deny it, because everyone knows it is true, except for maybe Rose. Look, Adrian will find out where she is. And I promise you, you will know as soon as I do," Lissa said.

"Princess, thank you," Dimitri said sincerely. Lissa smiled, grateful she was able to do something, since she was feeling so helpless.

"Call me Lissa," she reminded him. Dimitri nodded.

"Lissa, I will do whatever I can to help Rose," he promised. I felt my heart beat speed up some at his words.

"Because you do love her," Lissa added quietly. And to my intense surprise and disappointment, Dimitri shook his head.

"No, I don't. If I truly loved her I wouldn't have even been able to think of hurting her as a Strigoi, no matter what happened," Dimtri answered. And then he stood up. Lissa followed suit, watching him with pity.

"When you are a Strigoi, you have no control. Your soul, every good thing about you is gone. And because of that, what mattered before didn't matter than. Because all you are left with are memores. And while I don't know the details about Rose's time in Russia, but I do know one thing. You wanted to change her. You wanted her to be with you. But you didn't force it on her. Your love for her was strong enough to give her the biggest gift of all: choice. And when she refused to do it willingly, you didn't force her into something she didn't want," Lissa said fiercely. I felt intensely proud of my best friend, my sister. Love and hope were radiating through her once more, because she felt warmed by the idea that love was strong enough to do that. And yes, he had then sent me charming notes reminding me not to step out of the wards or he would kill me since I wouldn't join him, but hey! Let's just skip past that part.

I couldn't be completely uspet, though. I had pretty much been trying to tell Dimitri that from the moment he was given his soul back. Maybe coming out of Lissa's mouth would make it more reasonable to him. I felt anger start to stretch inside of me, but I shoved it down.

"I also tried to kill her," he reminded her, his voice dangerously low. Lissa shrugged.

"Yes, but better do that than force her to be a Strigoi. Because I think that somewhere in you, you realized she would rather be dead than a Strigoi. So you tried to protect her, subconciously, from what she would dislike the most. And even that is huge." The way Lissa said it made it sound so... simple. So easy. Like that was all it was. His subconcious trying to protect me. And the amazing thing was that she actually believed it completely. Of course, maybe it was true. We would never know.

Dimitri walked towards the door and then turned back around to face Lissa. He looked straight into her eyes, almost as if he was looking at me.

"I don't know if you are in there, Rose, but I love you. And I won't stop fighting for you," he said softly, before turning around and leaving.

Lissa stood for a moment with a happiness in her that she hadn't felt in a while. It was bittersweet, mixing with all of her other emotions, but at least she had done something to help someone she cared about.

Christian came out a moment later and wrapped his arms around her. And after a few minutes of standing with their arms around each other, Lissa realized Christian's shirt was getting wetter. She was crying.

_Rose, I don't know if you will hear me, but I miss you so much. I just wish that everything was like it was, where we could just hang out. Like old times. Dimitri loves you; he told me so. Adrian is worried sick and I know he visited you today. You should tell him where you are, so we can join you and help. And who are you with? No one can quite seem to figure that out, considering nearly everyone who would help you is here. They are sending guardians out to look for you. Please be careful. We all love you and want you back with us. Please come home. I miss you too much. I don't know what I would do without you. Stay safe, _Lissa thought.

I slipped out of her head and found my own tears wetting my face, just as Lissa's was wetting her face and Christian's shirt. And after a moment of trying to control my emotions, I sobbed. God, I missed her so much.

**Chapter eleven: done. Sorry it took so long to get up; I had some of it written, and once again my lovely computer decided to erase it. Blah. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Hopefully the next chapter will be out tomorrow. Please review, and thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow! I was so happy with the response to the last chapter, so thank you! Instead of chatting about stuff, I am just going to write the story. And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twelve

The sun was just going down when we entered Las Vegas. After the long, tiring trip where I was bunched in between Victor and Robert, let's just say I was more than ready to get out of the car. The minute we rolled to a stop, I reached for the handle. But Victor stopped me.

"Put this on," he ordered. I took the silver ring he presented me. It was small, too small for any finger other than my pinky. I was going to mention something to him, but I bit it back and stepped outside.

The last time I had been here, Victor and Robert had disappeared. Adrian and I were sitting in a bar talking with a stranger about Lissa's dad. Dimitri had come after us. I shuddered at the memory, for a moment seeing Dimitri's beautiful brown eyes ringed in red again. But I shook my head, dispelling the image and instead thinking about Dimitri's words to Lissa. He loved me.

A smile skipped across my face and then disappeared as I surveyed the area. There were a lot of people still bustling around the streets. With it being dark and busy, my senses were in high alerted. I once again was grateful to the Strigoi sensing nausea that I knew would appear should any appear.

We had stopped right outside a fancy looking hotel. But before I could really look around, I was whisked inside.

One thing I coudl discern quickly was that it was not a Moroi establishment. Everyone in here was human. Well, except for us, of course.

"What are we doing here?" I hissed under my breath, looking around at the opulent lobby. I had turned towards one of the men, but it was the one on the other side, the one I had turned my back to, that spoke.

"Over here, Rosemarie. And we are here to lie low. We will be staying here. It would be too incautious of us to stay with Moroi and dhampirs, because we would run the risk of being recognized. And while we will be visiting such establishments, it is best for us to stay with humans," he answered quietly. And the sad thing was, it totally made sense. So I didn't make another sound as Victor strolled up to the front desk.

I didn't trust Victor. That was one thing I knew for sure. But I certainly didn't want to be sharing a room with him, either. The two conflicting sides were silenced when Victor walked over with two room keys in his hand. He handed one to me.

"This is your room. It is connected to ours," he said simply. He then told me where it was. I started to head towards the gold elevators when I realized that Victor wasn't following.

"Where are you going?" I asked suspiciously, stopping. Victor just smiled.

"Ahh, Rosemarie, always so untrusting. I am going to talk to some old friends and see what they say about dear Vasilisa's father," Victor said. For a moment I was going to argue. I should go with him for that. But a wave of exhaustion hit me then. And, after all, he had gone through all of the trouble to get me out of jail. And while I still didn't trust him, I decided to let him go.

"Fine. I'll be in my room," I told him, heading into an elevator.

When I got to my room and opened the door, I found myself overtaken by such tiredness that I could barely make it to the bed before I collapsed. But through sheer will, I did. I had spent too many nights cramped on that tiny, hard cell bed to not appreciate this luxurious, queen sized one with the four fluffy pillows at the top just for me.

Just as my mind was drifting into dreams, I realized that I should really shower. It wasn't as if I had those types of priveleges in jail. So I pulled my drowsy body off of the bed and got into the shower, washing all of the dirt and grime off of me. Of course, the minute I was out and wrapped up in a warm towel I realized I had no othe clothes then the ones I came in. So I pulled on my underwear and bra and wrapped the fluffy white robe the hotel provided around me before peeling back the blankets and sheets and snuggling in. It wasn't long before I was out.

I was sitting at a table with Lissa, who was fidgeting with something. Finally she sighed and slammed the item down on the table. After a moment I realized it was a silver stake.

"I can't seem to manage it," she cried out angrily. Christian walked in through the other room and stopped right behind her chair, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you take a break? You need some rest. Maybe you are just too tired after all that spirit using to charm it," Christian said. I was puzzled. Why would she need to charm a silver stake? The only reason she should want it is to stake a Strigoi to turn them back... but who was it she needed it for?

It was obvious that I was just a spirit in this. I couldn't interact with Lissa and Christian, and they couldn't see me. So I stared blankly at them. Lissa's eyes were tearing up, as she stared at the stake angrily.

"But, Rose..." she trailed off, once again picking up the stake and trying to concentrate on it. What about me?

"Rose will be fine until we find her. And I know that she will forgive you if you take a few moments to relax. Because, honestly? Knowing Rose, she would rather spend a few more hours being Strigoi then have you hurt yourself trying to help her," Christian said. His voice hitched as he spoke, the only noticeable sign of distress. But I had long since stopped paying attention.

Christian had said that I would rather spend a few more hours being Strigoi... and that was when my mind had gone blank. Me? Strigoi? I tried to kick start my brain, but it was refusing to cooperate. I couldn't be a Strigoi. I was here, with them, watching them. I wasn't a Strigoi, nor did I have any intention of becoming one. I would rather die a thousand painful deaths and wind up in hell, if there was a hell, than be a Strigoi.

Lissa sobbed, booting my brain back up. I stared at her, helpless. And then I woke up.

The room was still dark, but it was too hot. Sweat was pouring down my body, my breathing was too fast, I could barely breathe. I darted up out of bed and to the thermostat, looking at it and trying to figure out how to turn it down from the eighty five degrees it now showed. And finally I figured it out, touching the screen and lowering the temperature to something more manageable. Like a chilly sixty degrees.

I sat back down on the bed, shrugging out of the robe and just sitting there, staring blankly at the wall. I know realized that I had been dreaming, but had it signified more? Was that my future? I could feel my breathing hitch as I tried to stay calm. But it was no use. The only two, well three if you counted Adrian, people who could calm me down were far away, safely tucked away at the Royal Court. I took a deep breathe, trying to calm myself down. That was not going to happen to me, because I would kill myself before I would let them turn me. Because while my death would be horrible for Lissa, me turning Strigoi and showing up at her doorstep to kill her would actually kill her. And not because my teeth would suck her blood dry; I winced at that, pushing the disturbing image out of my brain. But because she would not be able to bear seeing me like that. And to be honest, I was already a badass guardian. I couldn't even imagine what horrors I could cook up being Strigoi.

I turned away from that topic, and I closed my eyes, lying back on the bed and letting the cool air run over my underwear-clad body. I needed to get myself some clothes, and fast. But for the moment I pretended that the Strigoi attacked had never happened. That I had never had to go to Russia to hunt for Strigoi Dimitri. That we had been able to be together. And most of all that what he had said to Lissa was true: that he still loved me.

Just as I had calmed myself down, there was a knock at my door. I felt a strange rush of déjà vu. It really hadn't been that long ago when I had been cooped up in a hotel room with Victor, Eddie, and Lissa. Except that time Adrian had been at the door, waiting to join in the "fun". Oh, he had been in for a surprise. I still felt guilt spring up in me as I remembered that. When he had realized why I had done what I had. Because everything had always been to save Dimitri.

Another knock reminded me that someone was indeed standing outside my door. I walked over to it, expecting to see Victor when I looked through the peep hole. I gasped.

Oh, shit.

**So what do you think? Who do you think it is? It should be pretty obvious, but surprises come in many shapes and sizes. I am toying with a few people, some that make sense and are total no-brainers and some that are a little more out there. But I am going to shut up there and let you think on it for a little while I write the next chapter and see how it goes. :D Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for your ideas! I started to write about what I was thinking here and then decided to just let you guys read! Enjoy and review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirteen

I blinked once. Twice. Three times.

I had to still be dreaming, right? Because there was no way that a certain Moroi was standing out there. Absolutely no fucking way.

For a moment I contemplated pretending I wasn't there. But could I really live her out there, waiting for me to answer the door? The answer was no. So after a few minutes of deep breathing as the knocking continued, I swung open the door.

Lissa nearly pounced on me, wrapping me in a tight hug. She was saying something, but after the initial squeal I was left deaf. Just kidding. But she was talking awfully fast.

"Oh my God, Rose, I was so worried!" she cried, grabbing the two suitcases from behind her and shoving them in the room before closing the door quickly behind her. I was still in shock, trying to keep myself from blacking out. She led me over to the bed, where I sat down with a thump. No, no, no.

"Rose, seriously, you have got to tell me when you are running away! Remember the last time? We promised after the Russia trip that I would go with you on your adventures!" she rambled on and on. But finally me brain started back up again and I stopped her.

"How the hell did you find out where I was?" I asked her quietly. She seemed startled that I had spoken and glanced over at me.

"We got it out of Adrian," she said quickly. I could feel the anger rising inside of me, but for the moment I promised- no, swore to myself that I was going to stay calm. I watched Lissa, who was wringing her hands. She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Adrian swore to me that he wouldn't say anything," I said. Her eyes darted over to me and then back to her hands.

"I know. He said that. But I couldn't just sit around and wait for you to return!" she cried. I could feel her frustration through the bond. And there was guilt, too.

"What did you do?" I asked her incredulously. She blushed.

"I'm surprised you haven't already pulled it out of my head," she murmured. And then there was another knock on the door.

I just headed straight for the door. This time it had to be Victor, hopefully with some news about Lissa's sibling. Of course, we couldn't discuss it with her here; I still wanted to protect her until I had her sister with us. I glanced back at Lissa, and there was that guilt again, except this time it was etched across her face. I couldn't quite figure out what she had done; she was blocking me. Which reminded me... I still needed to figure out why she was blocking me that day I broke out of jail.

For the second time in five minutes I looked through the peep hole and felt my blood run cold. Although this time it wasn't a pretty blonde Moroi with jade green eyes standing outside my door. It was a tall, hot Russian god with a serious expression on his face. And standing next to him was Christian. I turned back to Lissa.

"How many fucking people did you invite?" I yelled. I was pretty sure that Dimitri and Christian would hear us, and sure enough, when I stopped yelling, I could hear chuckling on the other side of the door.

"Yup, that's Rose," Christian laughed. Lissa was looking at me apologetically, her hands spread out in a _what could I do _sort of way. I narrowed my eyes at her and turned back around, yanking the door back so forcefully that it almost came of the hinges.

Dimitri had already been silent, but when I opened that door, both their eyes widened. But it wasn't fear that made them stare. It was something else entirely.

In the shock of Lissa being here, I had completely forgotten that all I was wearing was my bra and underwear. And if the way Dimitri's eyes were perusing my body, I looked good. But I was too fucking mad to even enjoy that look. I yanked both of them in by the arm and slammed the door behind me.

Before I went off on them, I yanked a clean towel out of the bathroom and wrapped it around me. It was still too hot for me to put the robe back on, but there was no way I was going to yell at them with just my underwear on. No one would take me seriously. Or at least there would be some serious wiseass remarks from Christian. Of course, it wasn't like the towel was much better, but I was running out of options.

I reentered the room to find Christian lounging in a chair near the window, Dimitri standing straight and alert near the door, and Lissa still sitting on the couch. Her excitement at finding me had died down some, now to be filled with nerves and fear. Well, that will teach her to come looking for me and bring her boyfriend, my current boyfriend, and my ex-lover along.

"Anyone else coming?" I snapped, starting to pace. Lissa shook her head, which surprised me. I stared for a moment.

"Where is Adrian?" I asked, momentarily distracted. Lissa looked uneasy. "Well?" I asked.

"Adrian isn't here," Lissa admitted. I was flabberghasted. They had gotten the information from Adrian, but some how he hadn't made the final cut to come along? But fire boy and Russian god did?

"Why the hell not?" I asked. Lissa looked at Christian for help, and with a sigh and a rolling of his eyes, Christian spoke.

"We felt it would be best to have someone there who could watch over things for us. A royal who would be able to, shall we say, spy for us while we were gone," Christian told me. I frowned. And Adrian was the best one for the job?

"Rose-" I interrupted Lissa.

"How did you get the information out of Adrian? I pretty much swore to him I would flay him alive if he said anything," I said. I was actually curious what she could have possibly done that would be worse than me coming back and killing him. Lissa looked sheepish.

"I used compulsion on him," she whispered. I laughed, but she looked serious and my eyes widened.

"You used compulsion on Adrian?" I asked. I hoped she didn't recognize the worry in my tone. From the way Dimitri's eyes snapped to mine, he had noticed. I looked away from him, focusing on Lissa. She nodded.

"What do you know about... what I told him?" I asked, almost hesitantly. Which was something that I was definitely not accustomed to.

"He just said you were in Vegas. Is there something else we should know?" Christian asked suspiciously. I shook my head, a little too quickly. Now I could feel suspicion creeping in through the bond.

"Why are you here, Rose?" Lissa asked. I looked frantically around the room, but there was nothing to distract from her question. Finally, I answered.

"I can't tell you," I finally said. So, that wasn't completely true. I could tell her. But I sure as hell didn't want to. Lissa wasn't taking that for an answer, though. She was frustrated with me for not trusting her. I shook my head.

"It isn't about trust," I said. She crossed her arms.

"Oh, really? Then what is it about? What is so desperately important that you can't tell your best friend about it?" she asked snarkily. I glared at Christian. This was all his fault. She had been so sweet before and now... she was snarky and sarcastic.

"What did I do?" Christian asked, his eyes wide. I frowned.

"You made Lissa like this," I said, gesturing over to her. From the comical look on his face, he was completely and utterly confused.

"Like what?" he demanded.

"Like this! Sarcastic and snarky and..." I trailed off and just gestured once more to her. Lissa frowned.

"I seem to recall another close friend who is sarcastic and snarky, as you so called it," she reminded me. For a stupid moment I tried to think of who she was talking about. And then it hit me. Oh, ya. Me.

"Whatever. Look, I just want to get everything settled before you find out," I said, trying to be vague enough she wouldn't understand. Which I was doing a good job with. What I wasn't doing a good job with was getting her off of this topic.

"So Adrian was completely okay with you guys just running of to Vegas and leaving him behind?" I said. And sure enough, she was distracted. Her thoughts turned to Adrian and again she felt guilt and pity.

"Well, no. That is why I compelled him to forget," she admitted. I sighed and sat down at the head of the bed, where I could have a clear view of everyone in the room. Except, of course, the minute I try to relax and sit down, someone was knocking at the door.

The four of us stared at it. I then looked accusingly at Lissa, who's eyes widened. She shook her head.

_Whoever that is didn't come with us. _I frowned. If they weren't with them... I jumped up quickly and rushed to the door to look through the peephole. And sure enough, Victor was standing there with a slight smile on his face. Except, of course, it didn't look like Victor. It was his spirit charmed self. I chuckled quietly, but with the silence in the room, everyone heard.

"Well, this should be fun," I muttered, just as I swung the door open.

**Okay, so I totally just realized something when I was writing the part about Victor showing up. I don't think I ever actually wrote that Rose took the spirit ring off. Which would have meant Lissa would have been confused. But for this I am just going to say, when she undressed for the shower, she took the ring off, too. Just to clarify, because I was like, oh crap. And of course, the realization had to come at the very end of the chapter. Sigh. I thought about rewriting it, but I decided against it, so I just wanted to let you all know, in case any of you were wondering. Which, poor Adrian, being left behind... :( My initial plan was to have it be Adrian at the door, but then I was like... I don't know, would Lissa and Dimitri really have let Adrian slip out of court without noticing he was leaving? And if he was leaving, then they would obviously have to realize why, because they are smart. You know, it would really help if Lissa could see auras right about now. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review! I want to hear your thoughts. And thank you to everyone who has taken their time to review! I really appreciate it!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ooh, this should be interesting. ;D Thank you for all of the reviews, it is so great to hear from you! :D Love you all! Anyway, enjoy and review! I don't own anything.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Fourteen

I turned around, blocking Victor's entrance to the room so I could give everyone a brief explanation before he came in.

"Okay, so I don't want you guys to freak out," I said. Lissa was examining me, from the tense way my body was standing in front of the door, to the way my eyes were trained on hers. Lissa was wondering what could be so bad that I was so tense.

Maybe it was because Lissa had been here last time, but it was like everything clicked together. Or as I figured out a moment later as her emotions streamed through the bond, Robert had shown up behind Victor. And as I reminded from our last excursion, they can sense other spirit users.

Her eyes widened and her breathing started hiking up. I shook my head at her, my own eyes widening, begging her to stay calm. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

_Please tell me that I am wrong._

"What is going on?" Christian asked curiously, looking from Lissa to me and back again. I glanced over at him and Dimitri. Surprisingly enough, I had completely forgotten they were here.

Lissa was silently begging me she was wrong. And I wished I could give her the reassurance she needed. But I couldn't. So I silently moved out of the way to allow Victor and Robert into the hotel room.

Dimitri was already tense, but when he saw Victor he looked ready to strangle him. Because, of course, Dimitri didn't know that Victor had helped us last time.

Lissa was overwhelmed. She knew that this man and his brother helped bring Dimitri back to me, for which she was grateful. But she also couldn't get the feeling of being tortured by that air user under Victor's orders. So she got up off of the bed and walked over to Christian, snuggling up against his chest, trying to comfort herself. I felt bad for her; she had had no warning. Of course, neither had I, but still. I was stronger than her.

"Well, Rosemarie, this is a surprise. It looks as if you have some guests," Victor said smoothly, a coy smile on his face. I frowned at him, my eyes narrowing.

"What the hell, Rose?" Dimitri said. His voice was low and dangerous. But even with all this going on, I still felt a flutter in my stomach as he said my name. Of course, it would have been better if he had called me Roza, but I can't have everything I want, can I? I sighed internally and tried to keep myself focused on the task at hand. Which was definitely not ogling Dimitri. Besides, he doesn't love me anymore. _But he told Lissa he did. _Ya, well, people lie. _What reason would he have to lie to Lissa? _I don't know. Stop arguing with me. _But-_

I cut myself off. Was I really starting that again? Dimitri, and for that matter Lissa and Christian, were waiting impatiently for an answer. But before I could say anything, Victor spoke.

"Ah, Guardian Belikov, it is so nice to see you normal again. You must be so grateful to Rose. Of course, Vasilisa would have been the one to stake you," Victor mused. I felt uncomfortable; yes, Lissa had staked him. And so Dimitri wasn't grateful to me. He was grateful, no, worshipping to Lissa. Not me. Dimitri didn't bother commenting to Victor, or even looking his was. He was still waiting on an explanation from me.

"Rose..." he growled, silently demanding an explanation. And it was so much like the before Strigoi Dimitri that my heart started pounding faster. I met his beautiful brown eyes, trying to decide what to do.

"Well, it's a funny story," I began, trying to lighten the mood. But Dimitri just glowered. I smiled weakly.

"Victor helped me escape," I blurted out.

Whatever Dimitri, Christian, and Lissa had been expecting, it wasn't that. Through the bond I could feel Lissa's complete shock.

"How did he manage that?" Christian asked in amazement. Victor opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. They didn't need the whole detailed explanation, just the basics.

"Victor and his brother Robert helped some spirit users get out of Tarasov. Then, with the help of the spirit users they came to court and got me out, with the use of spirit rings. Disguised as you guys, we escaped and made our way to Vegas, or here. Victor is helping me with a... mission," I explained quickly. Dimtri's eyebrow went up. Damn him and his cool ability to lift only one eyebrow when I was so unfortunate as to always have to lift two.

"What mission?" he asked, his guardian mask on. But I could tell that he was trying to puzzle something together.

Lissa was interested in the mission as well, although underneath I could tell she was more concerned about the why. Because Lissa knew better than anyone that Victor always had alterior motives to his actions. And she was trying to figure out what his were.

"I can't tell you," I admitted. They all just stared at me until finally Lissa spoke up.

"You can't tell us? Are you kidding me?" she asked. Underneath she was confused and hurt.

"Look, Lissa, I want to tell you. I really do. But I can't. Not until I know everything. But I promise, this is going to help you," I said, begging her to understand. But tears were glistening in her eyes.

"So you trust him," she said, gesturing to Victor, "With this, but you can't trust me? Your best friend?" she asked. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She was being way too dramatic about this whole thing. But as I was sucked into her emotions, I could understand why. I wasn't willing to confide in her, but I would tell Victor, the guy who had tried to, basically, kill us? And when I tried to flip the situations around, I knew I would have been plently pissed off too.

"Lissa, please, you will understand soon enough but..." I trailed off as she pulled away from Christian, who was glaring at me with a _how dare you make my girlfriend upset _look on his face.

I only glanced at Christian a moment. I was obvious that unless I told them right then and there what was going on, he wouldn't be happy with me because I was making Lissa upset. So I turned to the only other person in this room. Dimitri.

He had his guardian mask on, so I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Which might have been for the better, because I knew he had that hero-worship thing going on with Lissa. But I still hoped that maybe he trusted me enough to understand I was trying to _protect _Lissa. Not hurt. I would never do that, unless it was for the best reason in the world. I pleaded with my eyes, willing him to understand.

Maybe my brain had been fried too many times in the past, but I thought I saw Dimitri nod his head. It was small enough that I didn't think anyone else had seen, but there it was. Yes, that was definitely a nod... a nod? I realized after a moment that he understood. That despite everything, he still understood _me._

"Princess, why don't we discuss this later once everyone has had some rest," Dimitri said. And after a moment of staring at me, her mind screaming at me to tell me and my own guilt exploding in my stomach, she nodded.

"We got a suite right next to yours," Lissa said crisply. She started to walk past me, but I could feel the mixture of emotions. And finally the relief that I was safe and the happiness that she was with me shone through. She pulled me into a tight hug.

"I am so glad to see you, Rose," she whispered into my ear. I nodded and hugged her back tightly. After a moment she pulled away and looked me over, still standing in my towel and underwear. A slight grin crossed over her face.

"We need to go get you some clothes," she commented, a gleam in her eyes that looked suspiciously like excitement. Yes, I was running for my life after breaking out of jail. But Lissa was still Lissa, and she still loved shopping.

Dimitri produced a key which he handed to Lissa. But Lissa had to pause when Christian stopped in front of me. I was puzzled; would Christian actually go all gushy on me? I smirked at the thought.

"Good to have you back with us, Rose," Christian said gruffly, and to my intense surprise he pulled me into a quick embrace. I was too surprised to hug him back, and he pulled away before the shock could wear off.

"Wow, fire boy, I never thought this day would come," I mocked. He frowned; he obviously couldn't see where I was going with this, although you would think after our interactions together he would. Dimitri seemed to catch on; he was still standing in the same place, but he had a small smile on his face, which just bolstered me up.

"What day?" Christian asked, confusion touching his features. Lissa rolled her eyes. It was obvious she knew, too.

"Our wittle Chrissie-kins has gone soft," I teased, using a baby voice and pinching his cheek. Christian threw my hand off with a disgusted look on his face, yet there was a glitter in his eyes that showed he wasn't actually offended. Lissa chuckled, and Christian shot her a dirty look which morphed into love. I rolled my eyes as he walked over to her, looping an arm around her waist.

"I guess I have," he said softly, and he stooped into plant a passionate kiss on Lissa. All concerns for anything else melted away, and complete and utter bliss filled her whole being. And of course, her emotions were so powerful that for the tiniest moment, I was sucked into her head. And it felt like _I _was the one making out with Christian.

I quickly pulled out, disgusted. But, Christian had definitely gotten me back.

"Okay guys, get a room," I said, rolling my eyes but actually wishing they would stop. Because I certainly didn't want to have my thoughts interrupted by being sucked in to Lissa's head while she was... having fun with Christian.

"We already do," Christian said, plucking the key out of Lissa's hand. I frowned.

"Bye, Rose," Lissa said softly, dragging Christian out, who was grinning ear to ear. Leaving me with Dimitri, Victor, and Robert. Fun.

**So there is as good a place as any to leave it off. I will be updating soon, hopefully. ;D Definitely tomorrow, if not tonight. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. The next chapter should be interesting... Dimitri, Victor, Robert, and Rose alone in a room... Hmmm... :D What horrors await? I can't wait to write it! Anyway, again hope you enjoyed and please review! **


	15. Chapter 15

**My sister, DeadlyRedAlice, wanted to tell all of you guys hi. LOL ;D Anyway... Thank you for the reviews! I love hearing what you have to say. Anyway, this chapter should be fun, so I am going to just start writing instead of blabbing up here. :D Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review! And, as always, I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Fifteen

I looked at my feet. I couldn't help but wonder what Dimitri was still doing in here... shouldn't he have been protecting Lissa and Christian? Of course, they were a bit busy right now, if the blissful feelings running through the bond were any indication. But I still couldn't help but wonder. Of course, I kind of had bigger issues at the moment. Like fact that the hot Russian badass god was glaring at the fragile little Moroi. So I intervened.

"Dimitri, you should probably go. I need to talk to Victor," I said. Dimitri just looked at me with his dark eyes, making me nearly swoon.

"Rose, I want to talk to you," Dimitri said, his eyes flickering over to Victor with a scowl and then turning back to me.

"Oh, by all means, Rosemarie, talk to your cradle stealing mentor. We will chat later," Victor said with a coy smile that made both me and Dimitri scowl. But before I could snap at him, he disappeared out the door connecting our two rooms, closing it behind him. Leaving Dimitri and me standing awkwardly across from each other. I waited for Dimitri to speak, but he seemed unwilling to initiate the conversation he had started.

"So, what's up, comrade?" I asked, using my old nickname for him. A grin flitted across his face and then disappeared just as quickly. I waited, impatient to hear what he had to say. Would he make a declaration of love? Apologize for his stubbornness and beg my forgiveness? Admit he hated the sight of Adrian because he wanted me for himself? Somehow, all of the above seemed pretty far fetched, but my stupid heart wouldn't stop hoping.

"Rose, I-" he stopped himself, as if measuring his words. "Roza, what are you doing with Victor?" he asked finally. I was disappointed, as I knew I would be. But I couldn't stop the tears that pricked the back of my eyes. Nor the anger stirring inside of me.

"Is that all that matters?" I snapped. Dimitri looked taken aback.

"Well, I thought that would be a good place to start," he said uncomfortably. I turned my back on him and went to sit down on the bed.

"Look, if we are just going to talk about Victor, then you can leave," I sighed, gesturing toward the door. Dimitri shook his head and went to sit down in the chair. For a moment he just stared at me in a way that made my skin feel warm. But I was impatient to know what he had to say. And I also wanted to know if Victor had found out anything.

"What do you want?" I asked, lacking my usual bravado.

"Roza, I was really worried," he admitted. And he used my old nickname. I repressed the smile that wanted to leap onto my face.

"Oh, really?" I asked offhandedly. Dimitri nodded, not even taking notice of my excitement. He was lost in his own thoughts.

"You have no idea. When I saw those guards and realized they wanted you and not me, I just knew that I had to do everything I possibly could to save you. And then, in the court room, when they were presenting the evidence... It was so stacked up against you, and the council wanted to convict you. Because they wanted this mess behind them. But I knew that you hadn't done it. And when I met your eyes... I would have done anything you asked in that moment, even if it meant fighting every single person in that room if it meant saving you," he paused. So I hadn't interrupted that look wrong. He really would have done anything to save me. I tried to keep myself calm, but I could barely contain my glee. Because Dimitri was finally admitting he cared. But then his words in the church came slamming back into me, calming me like nothing else could.

"Roza, when you disappeared... I was worried. I wanted to be with you, to make sure you were safe. But at least you were out of the grasp of the council. At least you were free somewhere, and I had enough confidence in you that I knew you would be okay. But then when we all met together and Adrian realized he had seen you leaving with people disguised as me and Lissa... I was terrified that something horrible had happened. I hurried down to the guardians' headquarters and spoke to the guards who had been on duty; they didn't remember anything, but I guess I should have expected that. Because of course you guys would have used compulsion. So I was left depending on Adrian for information. And after he had spoken to you, while dream walking, I just knew he was lying. And there was no way I could possibly let the only possible information on you slip out of my fingers because Adrian lied. So I talked to Lissa, to convince her to use compulsion on Adrian. And if he wasn't lying, at least we would know for sure. Lissa felt awful, but she was as desperate as I was. So we cornered him, and sure enough he knew where you were. We erased his memory of us finding out and immediately left. Of course, Christian could sense from Lissa that something was going on, and Lissa decided to tell him. Honestly, I was glad he was coming. We couldn't let anyone know what was going on, so at least Christian would be more protection in his own sense. Because I knew he was by no means defenseless. Of course, one more Moroi, but at least he had his own way of fighting. And of course Lissa and him had been practicing hitting and fighting, which they promptly told me when I argued."

I could totally imagine that. Dimitri saying that there should already be one more guardian for Lissa, never mind if Christian came along. Lissa lighting up and proudly telling Dimitri that both she and Christian had practiced fighting. And reminding him that she had staked him as a Strigoi. Christian arguing that he would almost be more help than a detriment, reminding Dimitri of what he and I had done during the attack on the Academy. Lighting a fireball in his hand to emphasize his point. Dimitri being impatient to leave and finally agreeing.

"I was so worried that something had happened to you. That we would get here and you were already gone, or we wouldn't be able to find you," Dimitri said, pain crossing his beautiful face so that I felt the urge to get up and hug him. But, of course, I felt like Dimitri might not want that. So I stayed seated on the bed.

"How did you find me?" I asked, cutting him off. He looked up at me with a genuine smile, one I didn't get to see enough of, especially lately.

"We just searched around until we found a hotel where two men and a woman had just checked in. And, of course, Lissa compelled a lot of people," Dimitri explained. I smiled.

"I could have done that so much," I teased. Dimitri's smile widened.

"I'm sure you could have, Roza," Dimitri admitted.

For a moment it was just like old times. Us comfortably chatting. But that illusion quickly disappeared. Everything had changed. Dimitri instantly became serious again and got up from the chair, starting to pace.

"So, what you are saying is... you were worried?" I asked, trying to understand why he was saying this. Dimitri looked frustrated and came to a stop right in front of me.

My hopes instantly shot up. Maybe he _was _going to apologize for everything and beg for me to come back. I could barely stop myself from crossing my fingers and running outside to wish on a shooting star. Maybe, _finally, _Dimitri and I could be together.

My thoughts shot to Adrian, and I felt that stupid guilt that was probably killing all of my insides. How would I break it to him? Did I really want to break up with him? I loved Adrian, it was true. But was it enough to overcome my continuing love of Dimitri. And if I was truthful with myself, the answer was no. Because no matter what, Dimitri was the one. And I knew that for as long as I lived, and maybe even longer, there would be a large place in my heart for Dimitri. My Russian God. Who was currently looking at me with an amused expression on his face.

"What?" I snapped. He stifled a, wait for it, chuckle before answering.

"You just looked really funny just then," he said. I frowned. Funny?

"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously. Dimitri shrugged.

"I guess you were concentrating really intently or something, but your face kept changing expression as you were thinking. It was really funny," he said with a shrug. I pursed my lips and thought about punching him in the arm. But the problem with me is I rarely think before I do something. So next thing I knew my fist was colliding with Dimitri's arm. Now, it was in a playful way, but still. Oops.

"What was that for?" he asked ruefully, stroking his arm as if it was in pain. Except for I knew it wasn't. And I felt the urge to smack his other arm. Or maybe just fight with him in general, like old times. Except for we would end up sprawled on the floor with not only our bodies, but our tongues intertwined too. Hey, a girl can dream. I shrugged.

"I felt the urge to hit you," I answered simply. Dimitri rolled his eyes.

"You really haven't changed a bit," he answered.

I don't know why, but I felt angry all of a sudden. Or maybe I did know why. Because suddenly images from when he got back up until the moment I left were filtering through my mind. And it always seemed to pause on the scene in the church. And his words kept running through my mind: _I've given up on you. Love fades. Mine has. _How could he act as if everything was okay, like everything was normal?

"Dimitri, what do you want?" I asked tiredly. He stared at me. When he didn't respond for a few moments, I felt that anger growing.

"Look, you can't just pretend that everything is hunky dory, okay? Because it isn't. If you really think we can just go back to being friends then you are in for a big surprise. Because I can't forget everything that has happened," I said. I tried to instill the usual Rose Hathaway bravado into my words, but suddenly I was feeling very tired. My sleep had been cut short with the stifling heat of the room, and then Lissa had appeared... I just wanted to curl up in bed, cry a little, and then go to sleep.

"Rose, I..." he trailed off, and I watched him as he struggled for words. He closed his eyes for a moment and shuddered, as if a bad memory had passed through his mind. Hurting him. And again I felt that urge to hug him. But I once again suppressed it. God, I wish I could just figure out my emotions. One minute I am mad, then I feel bad, then I am mad again. And the whole time I really just wish I could grab him and drag him onto the bed with me, pressing his lips passionately against mine.

"Rose, I... wanted to apologize. About the way I have been acting. It wasn't fair to you," he finally said. I had been inspecting my fingers, but with that my eyes darted up to rest on him. Had I just imagined that, or had he really just said it?

For the first time I started to wonder if this was just a dream. Because it all seemed to be going a little too perfectly. But instead of voicing my opinions or thoughts, I waited impatiently for him to continue. I started fidgeting with a loose strand in the comforter. And after a moment, Dimitri elaborated.

"I knew that you had gone through hell to save me. First coming after me in Russia, and then finding out about the stake to bring me back to life. But you have to understand. Every time I looked at you I was reminded of what I had done as a Strigoi. Of the lives I had killed, the people I had hurt. But more important than any of that I remembered what I had done to you. Trapping you there. Keeping you under my influence. Taking your blood and pressuring you to change. And then, sending you all of those notes..." Ah, yes, those lovely little notes. They had been frightening and disconcerting. Not that I would tell him that. I was surprised that he was opening up to me at all. Because I knew this was hard for him. And I was just so glad to _finally _be getting an insight into what he was thinking. "And when I found you in Vegas. The princess had just stood there, wide eyed, and you had to fight me. And then, finally, during that last battle. When you came for the princess and Christian. I could tell that you were going to kill me. Because the princess and Christian were in trouble. Because you still had that humanity about you that made it so you would do anything for her. And I was going to kill you so you wouldn't kill me. Hell, I was going to kill you anyways because you were too dangerous. Because you hadn't been willing to turn," he said. His breath was coming in short gasps as he relived those last few moments before he had been staked by Lissa. And I could tell that it was nearly unbearable. So I did the only thing I could do. I hugged him.

For a moment he stood frozen, still wrapped up in his memories. But then his arms enveloped me, hugging me so tightly I could barely breathe. But in a good way. Because for the first time since that attack at the cave, he was in my arms. And he wasn't a Strigoi trying to force me to let him "awaken" me, as the Strigoi called it. But he was _my _Dimitri, and he needed comforting. Because he was in pain.

We stood like that for a while, comforting each other. I even thought I felt a tear drop into my hair, which Dimitri had buried his face in me. But I decided that couldn't be true. Because Dimitri, the fierce, badass god, didn't cry.

"Roza," he murmured after a while. I looked up at him with a small smile.

"Yes, comrade?" I said. A brief smile flitted across his face, and then it was gone.

"I am so sorry I hurt you. It was selfish and cruel," he said, his brown eyes showing all of the warmth and love and apology the world could offer. I nodded.

"You're already forgiven," I said simply. But he wouldn't let it go and just hug me again.

"I pushed you away because I couldn't bear the memories. And because I was afraid that maybe, just maybe, there was still a Strigoi in me. That I would hurt you again-" he explained. I cut him off.

"So you hurt me so you wouldn't hurt me?" I asked, again trying to do that cool eyebrow thing and failing miserably. He grimaced.

"It sounds really bad when you put it like that," he mumbled. I shook my head.

"No, it sounds like you. Dimitri, I am not going to lie to you and say it didn't hurt. It did hurt. A lot. But if all that hurt means that I get you in the end, then that is all that matters," I said, burying my face into his neck. He still smelled of aftershave and something else that was just... _Dimitri. _I breathed in and sighed happily.

"Roza, I will never be able to apologize to you enough," he said. I smiled into his neck.

"Well, then I guess maybe we should get started with the groveling," I teased, and I pressed my lips against his neck, kissing him gently. But Dimitri pulled away, wincing.

"I don't know if I am ready for that," he said. I just stared at him. This definitely wasn't a dream. Because in my dream he would agree and kiss me passionately to erase any doubts in my mind. He would murmur my name like a prayer, so softly yet filled with such love. He would gaze at me with those gorgeous brown eyes and tell me he loved me, and always had. He would apologize for his cruel words in the church and promise to never let me go. And when I would mention Adrian, he would look at me with sadness in his eyes and say that if I wanted Adrian, he would let me go, because he just wanted me to be happy and he realized he had hurt me. And then I would promise him that I wasn't going anywhere. That while I loved Adrian, I would always love him more, and that I couldn't be with Adrian. And Dimitri would be so overjoyed we would make love and everything would be good. But, of course, because someone out there has it in for me, none of that was happening. Instead, he was saying he "wasn't ready for it." And I certainly didn't want to hear that shit.

"So, while you're sorry, nothing has changed, has it?" I snapped, pushing him away. Dimitri stumbled slightly but caught himself before tumbling down.

"Roza," he sighed. He reached for me, but I jumped away and scrambled onto the bed, getting as close to the corner as I could without falling off. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Did you even mean anything you said?" I spat. His eyes widened, and I saw hurt in his eyes. But at the moment I was too mad to even care that I was hurting him. Because he had certainly hurt me enough.

"Of course I did-" he started to argue, but I cut him off.

"God, I knew it. I should have just listened to those fucking words you said to me in church. Remember? I've given up on you. Love fades. Mine has," I screamed, throwing his words back up into his face.

"Rose, I didn-" Everytime he began to speak I cut him off.

"You just can't seem to understand the fact that I don't care what you did. Because, reality check? You couldn't control yourself. But you know what? Nothing you did as a Strigoi was even half as bad as what you are doing to me know. Because this time, you are in control," I cried. I could feel tears running down my face, but I didn't even care.

Dimitri looked so taken aback that I thought he was going to fall over. As it was, he collapsed into the chair by the window and buried his face in his hands. And then Lissa and Christian burst in, both of them looking as if they had hastily put on their clothes. Their hair was tousled, but at that moment neither seemed to notice. They were looking frantically from Dimitri, sitting in the corner with his face in his hands and his body shaking, to me, curled up in the corner of the bed with tears running down my face and screaming.

"What the hell is going on?" Christian asked. I just sobbed. Through the bond I could feel Lissa's utter confusion, her worry about me, and her worry about Dimitri. I thought that she was going to turn to me and start yelling, but instead she marched over to Dimitri with her shoulders squared.

"What did you do to her?" she asked, her voice icy. Christian had followed her and was now glaring him down. I looked up at them in shock. And here it was I thought I was going to get yelled at.

Dimitri looked up at them, and his face almost looked haggard.

"Dimitri, so help me God, what did you do?" Lissa hissed. She was worried, yes, but more so she was angry. Because the only reason I would be curled up crying is if Dimitri had hurt me.

"Princess, please," he mumbled. But Lissa was too angry.

"How could you? After everything that Rose has done for you, how could you hurt her again? I thought you had gotten over it. But more importantly, I thought you loved her. Or was that a lie, too?" she yelled.

"Look, I don't know what you did, but if you are just going to hurt Rose, then you are going back to court, Belikov. Because what you can't seem to get through your thick head is how much Rose loves you. She would do anything for you. She left Lissa for you-" Christian said, his voice deadly quiet. But this had gone far enough.

I gingerly stepped off the bed and walked over to them. I pulled Lissa and Christian away.

"I think he gets it. And he has been through a lot, too," I said softly. Christian looked at me as if I was insane.

"Are you seriously defending him?" he asked. I bit my lip and didn't answer. He stared at me for a full minute before stomping out of the room.

Lissa was concerned, confused, worried, unsure, trying to figure out what was going on. I couldn't figure out if I wanted her to leave or not. Because, if I was honest, having Lissa there was helping me calm down. But I also needed to finish the conversation with Dimitri. So I nodded towards the door. But Lissa sat down on the edge of the bed firmly.

"I am staying right here."

**Okay, so I was checking on something for this chapter, and I was looking at the live preview, and I was thinking... are the chapters too short? They always seem a lot longer when I am writing them then they looked when I was flipping through them. Should I lengthen them, or are they good the way they are? This was longer than usual, so do you like something more like this or even longer, or something more like what I usually do? Thanks for your input, and hope you enjoyed! Next chapter should be interesting, with Lissa sitting in on their conversation. Sigh. And we still don't know what Victor found out. Should be up soon! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, so from the reviews I am getting, it looks like I will be making my chapters a bit longer, depending on the scene. ;D So enjoy and review, because I love hearing from you all! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Sixteen

I wasn't quite sure how to proceed, with Lissa sitting there listening in on our every word. But, as I had thought before, we had to get this resolved. Even if that meant having Lissa mediate. Which, in retrospect, was actually a pretty good idea. Maybe things wouldn't have gotten as bad as they had been a few minutes ago.

Dimitri was staring into space, a tortured look on his face. I sighed and knelt in front of him so that we were on the same level.

"Dimitri, I know this is hard for you. Or, I don't know but I can imagine. There have been things I have done in my life that I haven't been proud of. Things that have resulted in tragedy. I mean, remember the whole Spokane thing? Mason _died _because of me. He died, and he was one of my closest friends. And how about running after you even after you were a Strigoi? I put myself in danger, because I should have known that I would hesitate, even with your lessons. I should have known that I wouldn't be able to do it. And then we get to breaking Victor out of jail to gain the slimmer of a chance of bringing you back. And I endangered Lissa and Adrian in the process, all for this fairy tale dream I had. And then we lost Victor and his brother. I _lost _the man who tortured my best friend, all because you appeared. And then I got back to court and called the Queen a sanctimonious bitch." At that last comment he raised one eyebrow. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. That was definitely not part of the discussion right now. "The point is, we all do stuff that we regret. But we can't let that drag us down. Because you know what? I had control over every single that I have ever done. Every mistake, every problem, every thing has been on my shoulders. But you? You didn't have control. Because I know for a fact that you wouldn't have done any of that stuff if you had been yourself. Because you are one of the kindest, most honorable, loving people I know. And the only person I know who might be better is Lissa, but even she has her faults."

I had almost forgotten Lissa was in the room, but she chuckled quietly from her position on the bed. We both glanced at over at her, and her eyes widened apologetically. She was happy that we were talking, or I was talking, and she was feeling really sentimental towards me. I just tried to ignore her.

"Dimitri, I know that it must be hard. Because you went through a lot. But the best way to heal is to let the people you care about in," I said. I lowered my eyes to my hands, which were fidgeting in my lap.

"I know that I can be stubborn, hardheaded, loud, annoying, outspoken, and so many other things that some people would consider bad, but I love you so much and I just want to help you and be with you through this. Because you know what? I might not be around that much longer," I reminded him. Lissa was blocking me, but I was so used to her influx of emotions that I actually almost found it more distracting then helpful. I turned to her.

"Liss? I know you are trying to help and everything, but first of all I don't think you really need to be here anymore. And two? You blocking actually doesn't help that much," I said. She smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"Well, if you don't want me to block..." she trailed off and opened her emotions to me.

On the surface was amusement. But underneath that was a wave of emotions. She was touched by my words, much as she was when watching sappy romance movies like _The Notebook _or _Titanic. _And she was hoping fiercely that everything would work out between us. And she was feeling bad for Adrian, because for the first time she was realizing he had no real chance. And she wished that we could all just be happy together and that our problems would go away.

I stared at her for a second, and it was like we were communicating. She was telling me good luck. And I was saying thank you.

She started to leave the room, and then stopped again.

"I'll be just a door away if you need anything," she said, but it was more like a warning and I smirked. Lissa threatening? I nodded at her, and after another second she disappeared, closing the door quietly behind her.

For a moment we sat quietly, but then Dimitri spoke.

"Roza, I can't even tell you how horrible I feel," he mumbled. I smiled.

"You kind of just did," I teased him. He shot me a look and then looked up at the ceiling. Finally, after an immeasurable moment, he took my hands in his. My heart started beating faster in my chest.

"I want to forget. I want to look at it like you do," he admitted. But I could tell that wasn't all.

"But?" I asked.

"But I can't. It is going to take a while for me to get over everything that happened and even then... it is never going to go away. There are going to still be nights when I am going to wake up pouring sweat down me and screams filling my head. They begged for me not too. They begged for their lives. And I just laughed," he said, horror filling his eyes. And, for the second time that day, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him against me.

It wasn't anything romantic, it was just me wanting to comfort him.

"Dimitri, I know that it isn't going to be easy. But I want to be there for you," I whispered softly. Dimitri pulled away and stared into my eyes.

"I am so sorry," he whispered, just as soft. And then he did the most surprising thing he possibly could. He leaned forward and pressed his soft lips against mine.

I was so shocked that for a moment I didn't respond. But then I wrapped my fingers in his silky long hair and pressed my body against his, grasping him tightly to me.

Unlike when I had kissed Strigoi Dimitri, this felt completely and utterly right. Because when I opened my eyes, Dimitri wasn't chalky white with red rings around his eyes. He was a Dhampir. And the reason why he was kissing me was not because he wanted me, as he told me right before I staked him the first time at the bridge. It was because he loved me.

But a moment later he pulled his lips off of mine.

"Roza, I love you so much, and I am so sorry," he apologized again. But it was the first words that really meant something to me. Before we could continue, though, we had to talk about a few things. I dropped my arms from around his neck and his eyes betrayed hurt, so I picked up his hands and held them in mine, playing with his long fingers and going over his callused hands.

"Why did you tell me you didn't?" I asked him. His eyes dropped from mine.

"Didn't what?" he asked, stalling. I rolled my eyes.

"You know what. Are you really going to make me say it?" I asked him. He shook his head and sighed.

"I wanted... no, needed you to stay away. Because as I told you earlier, every time I would look at you I would hear the screams. And I would see you as you were when you came after me in Russia. When I held you there, taking your blood as if you were a blood whore..." he trailed off. I felt myself blush. So he had lost respect for me. I could feel tears pricking my eyes.

"So I just look like a blood whore to you," I whispered, dropping his hands and picking myself up off the floor. But he grabbed my hands so I couldn't leave. I could feel the tears starting to run down my face.

"Roza, no, of course not. You couldn't have done anything. I was drugging you, and that is what hurts. I could never, ever look at you with anything but respect," he said instantly, reassuring me. I nodded and he stood up, enveloping his arms around me again. I snuggled into him. And then pulled away as his words washed over me. I smirked as confusion crossed his expression.

"Roza?" he asked, his brows coming together.

"You just said I couldn't have done anything, right?" I asked, acting innocent. He nodded slowly, clearly not seeing where this was going. "Why did you say that?"

"Because you were under the influence of the endorphins. You weren't yourself," he explained. I couldn't believe he couldn't see where this was going.

"Wow. That sounds a lot like what I was saying earlier," I pointed out. Dimitri sighed.

"It is completely different," he argued. Of course he would say that.

"How so? We both weren't really in control of what we were doing, you even more so than me. And you know what? You still didn't make me go Strigoi. Even with everything, you were still giving me the choice," I reminded him. He nodded, but it wasn't like he was agreeing with me.

"Yes, I gave you the choice. And when you chose wrong I tried to kill you," he said, the pain drifting into his voice again. I sighed.

"But you knew that I would rather die than be Strigoi. And I was out there trying to kill you. So, survival of the fittest. You were protecting yourself," I argued. His brows knit together.

"Everything sounds a lot more reasonable when you say it," he said ruefully. I grinned.

"Well that is certainly something I don't hear everyday," I teased. He chuckled.

"Yes, that is definitely true," Dimitri agreed.

"Reasonable Rose," I mused. Dimitri watched with amusement as I tapped my chin and finally shook my head.

"Nope. I think Reckless Rose sounds better," I teased. He rolled his eyes.

"But you understand what I am saying," he said. I nodded.

"Yes, I do, which is why I said it. Because I am right," I said. Dimitri still looked unsure, and I rolled my eyes.

"Look, I know this is going to take a while and maybe even some therapy. But, at least promise me that you won't shut me out anymore. That you will allow me to be there for you," I whispered. And after a moment, he nodded and tightened his arms around me.

"I promise. And I promise to be there for you and to help you," he said. I looked up at him and smiled, and then there was a knock on each side of the room.

I had been so caught up in what was going on with Dimitri that I had completely forgotten about Victor. And now I was more anxious than ever to hear what he had found out. So I pulled Dimitri toward the first knock and opened the door, revealing Lissa.

"Dimitri, I need to talk to Victor. So..." I trailed off and gestured toward Lissa. Dimitri lifted one eyebrow and just stared at me. He crossed his arms across his chest.

"Why can't I know?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and put my hand on his arm, trying to drag him in.

"Because if you know it will only make Lissa feel worse," I said. Lissa scowled at me.

"You could always just tell all of us," she hinted. I shook my head.

"Not yet. Look, let me hear what Victor has to say-" I was cut off by another knock from the opposite door. I sighed.

"Please, just trust me," I pleaded. Finally, both nodded. Lissa disappeared back into the room with a scowl; she was angry at me for not telling her, happy that Dimitri didn't know either, upset that _Victor _was the one I had confided in, and overall emotionally drained.

"You should tell us, Rose," Dimitri said, snapping into mentor role almost immediately. I sighed, but inside I was glad. Things weren't going to be easy, but at least Dimitri was going to let me in. And he was talking to me just like he used to.

"I will tell you, just not yet. Just trust me on this, Lissa would be really upset if she found out," I said, staring at him, begging him silently to understand. And after a moment he nodded and placed a kiss on my forehead before shutting the door behind him.

I walked across the room to Victor's door. Hopefully he had found something useful. But even he hadn't, I had some talking to do.

**So this chapter was actually pretty average sized for me, but I felt like that was as good a place as any to cut it off. Because that was really the end of Dimitri and Rose's discussion, and for obvious reasons the discussion with Victor is going to be long. And of course, Adrian is still... Well, he still has some action coming. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. I am going to get the next chapter out today, so don't worry. ;D We will hear what Victor has to say. Please review! I love hearing from you guys!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing. Wow, shortest one ever. I think. Probably not, now. :D LOL.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Seventeen

Just as I reached the door, there was another knock. I opened the door and stepped inside, closing it quickly behind me. I didn't want them to hear this conversation. Because, while I couldn't see Dimitri sitting at the door trying to listen in, I could see Lissa or Christian doing it.

"Just a precaution," I told him smoothly when he stared at me with amusement. Victor nodded and led me over to a table with two chairs, were he had multiple maps spread out. One of them I recognized; it was a map of Las Vegas, and there were multiple places that had a blue arrow leading toward it. But only one had a red x. I pointed to it.

"What is up with this one?" I asked.

"That is the club that I went to earlier. And, coincidentally enough, I believe you have been there before too. With Adrian Ivashkov?" Victor asked. My brows knit together. How did he know that?

I nodded slowly, and Victor chuckled.

"Mr. Ivashkov was sitting at the bar when I went in, talking to someone who he had spoken to before. And, coincidentally enough, he was speaking about Vasilisa's father. Fishing for answers, I suppose. But the most peculiar thing was when the man asked about you, saying you had been there before," Victor explained, amused. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. Of course Adrian would be here. Because of course, while they were already compelling him to forget they had asked him, they conveniently forgot to compell him to forget everything. I sighed.

"Hold on," I said, and I walked through the door, through my room, and into Lissa's room. I put my hands on my hips as I stared at them.

"Rose?" Lissa asked, confusion spreading and then hope I was letting her in.

"Adrian is here. In Las Vegas," I told them, completely deadpan. Lissa's eyes widened as shock carried through, and then unease. She exchanged a look with Christian. But I couldn't bother with them right now. I looked directly at Dimitri, who understood and sighed.

"I will go get him," he offered, moving from his position by the couch and over to me.

"Thank you," I said softly. He nodded.

"Where was he last seen?" Dimitri asked. I grabbed his arm and pulled him from Lissa's room and back into mine, shutting the door behind me momentarily.

"He was last seen in Witching Hour. Talking at the bar," I hesitated, and then decided to just tell him. I mean, Adrian knew, didn't he?

"Look, Dimitri, the reason I am here, what Victor is helping me with is..." I took a deep breath. "He is helping my find Lissa's half sibling. Sister, we believe," I told him.

He was shocked. But he couldn't understand why I was telling him

"Adrian knows. I don't want you to be clueless if he starts talking about it, or if you hear him talking to someone about it. When you are with him, please tell him from me not to say anything to Lissa, all right?" I asked. Dimitri nodded.

I couldn't help myself. The scent of his aftershave was intoxicating, and his lips were right there. So I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. And the best part was, he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me back. And his tongue was doing interesting things, and I could feel my heart beating way too fast in my chest, but in a good way. And I could almost hear my blood pounding in my veins. And I could feel him. My hands traveled down his back.

And then he pulled away, as usual the responsible one, leaving me wide eyed and gasping. His lips were red from kissing, only making me want to kiss them more.

"I should go," Dimitri said huskily. I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak. And after placing a gentle kiss on my forehead, Dimitri left.

I let myself have a minute to regain my composure before returning to Lissa and Christian.

"Dimitri left to go get him," I informed them. Lissa smirked as she looked me over.

_Someone's been busy. Look at you, you're all flustered and red. _I glared at her, but she was genuinely happy for me and Dimitri.

"Anyway, I want you all to move into my room for the time being. So this way if something happens then we are closer to you," I said. Lissa and Christian nodded and stood up.

"So, Rose, when are you going to tell us?" Christian asked as we walked into my room. I glared at him.

"When I decide, fire boy," I snapped. I closed the door to their suite and then walked into Victor's closing the door behind me.

"All right, now tell me what you found out," I snapped at Victor, who merely smiled.

"I talked with a few of the dancers, and as I suspected, the young lady is gone. Her name was Anna and she disappeared about sixteen years ago. And while at first I had no success in gleaning where she might be, I finally discovered she is hiding in Alaska with her daughter. They spend six months there and then travel down to California during the six months of darkness in Alaska. As of this point, he should be in Alaska for a little while longer. I have the exact location of their estate, where they have been living for a while on Eric's money, which has been funneling out of the Dragomir bank account since Anna was impregnated. Now, I was not able to find out the location of Anna's estate in California, and it would take forever to find them if they leave Alaska. Which means we need to go quickly, for the months of darkness in Alaska are coming swiftly. It might even be too late as we speak. I have arranged for a jet to take us as close to the location as possible without alarming Anna and her daughter." Wow, Victor had really gotten a lot. I was suddenly feeling grateful toward him, despite everything he had done before. Because now we had a direct route to finding Lissa's sister.

"Thank you," I muttered. Victor smiled.

"Ahh, of course, Rosemarie. Now, prepare your dear friend and her boyfriend so that we will be ready to leave in ten minutes," Victor said. I froze.

"But Dimitri is looking for Adrian!" I said. Victor shrugged.

"We will not be able to wait, Rosemarie. You have to hope they will find us before we leave," Victor answered, and the way he spoke signaled the close of the conversation. I left the room fuming, stomping into my room and slamming the door behind me. Lissa and Christian looked up from their positions on the bed, startled.

"What is it?" Lissa asked. I balled my hands up into fists but restrained myself from actually slamming it into the wall.

"We are leaving in ten minutes. Be ready," I ordered. They both looked surprised, and through the bond I could feel confusion as well. But without question they both stood up. I guess they could tell I was upset about something, and as they walked to the door, confusion still lingered in Lissa's mind. And then it clicked.

She whirled with a gasp. "What about Dimitri and Adrian?" she asked. Christian came to a stop too and his eyes widened as he looked between us.

"Well?" he asked. My nails were digging into my palm my hands were clenched so tightly. I finally shrugged.

"I don't know. Victor said we have to leave immediately, and if they aren't with us..." I trailed off, not trusting myself to speak. How could this happen?

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Rose. Dimitri will find Adrian and be back quicker than we can blink, and then we can all leave together," Lissa reassured me. But her words didn't do any good, because I could feel her emotions through the bond. And there was uncertainty and fear.

After that Lissa and Christian left, going to make sure everything was ready. I myself had never unpacked, having nothing to wear, and was still wrapped up in a towel. I really needed some clothes.

A moment later Lissa came in with one of the suitcases and handed it to me. She was sheepish.

"Sorry. I had meant to give this to you earlier, but... Well, it was so chaotic and everything that I never got the opportunity. I wasn't sure if you had any other clothes, so I packed these up for you," she said, pushing the suitcase. I felt overwhelming gratitude toward Lissa, and I wrapped her up in a tight hug.

"Liss, I am sorry," I whispered. She pulled back and stared at me.

"About what?" she asked. I sighed.

"About keeping things from you. When we are on our way I will tell you everything," I promised. She nodded and looked me over, grinning.

"You may want to go get dressed," she teased. I nodded and hugged her one last time before grabbing the suitcase and heading into the bathroom.

Seriously? Lissa is the best friend ever. She had packed everything I could need. Jeans, short and long shirts, shorts, underwear, jackets, everything I could possibly want. And nestled into a small bag in the corner was my tooth brush, tooth paste, and even a bit of makeup. And I found my hair brush.

My favorite sneakers were in the front pocket, and I pulled on a pair of jeans with a black short sleeved shirt and my sneakers. I brushed through my hair and threw it into a messy pony tail and brushed my teeth before walking out of the bathroom. I felt a thousand times better now that I had cleaned myself up.

"Five minutes, Rosemarie," Victor called in from the other room, and the momentary happiness shattered. I walked quickly into Lissa's room.

They were already packed and ready to go, and when I walked in they were sitting on the bed, talking quietly to each other. I sighed and plopped down on the edge of the bed, and they stopped talking immediately.

"What were you guys talking about?" I asked curiously. Lissa shrugged and Christian smirked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Christian said. I frowned.

"Yes, I would," I agreed. Christian's smirk grew.

"Well, if you must know, we were talking about our sex life," Christian told me. I wrinkled up my nose and turned to Lissa, who was giggling. She was blocking me at the moment, so I couldn't tell if Christian was kidding. "Do you want to hear all of the steamy details?" Christian asked. I grimaced and grabbed a pillow that was sitting on the floor and threw it at him. He brought up his hands to block it but he wasn't fast enough; it hit him square in the face. And at the point Lissa nearly fell over laughing, while trying to scold me and reassure Christian at the same time.

"Rose, you shouldn't have done that," she finally gasped out. Christian was frowning, and I had a feeling there would be retribution later. I smiled inwardly.

But, of course, any time I actually find a semblance of normal in my life and start enjoying myself, something has to happen. Victor appeared at the door with Robert standing behind him.

"We must go," he said, and disappeared. Any laughter dried up instantly. I stood up and sighed, looking anxiously at the door.

"We have to let them know we left," Lissa said quietly. I nodded jerkily and, with the pen and paper in the room, I scratched out a hasty note.

_We have a lead on the mission. We have left. Come tonight while I am sleeping. Be careful. We shall see each other soon._

I tried to make it as cryptic as possible, so that no one but Dimitri and Adrian would understand. But, of course, I was not exactly known for my sneakiness. More like the blunter the better.

I left the note on the side table in Lissa's room and grabbed everything.

I slipped on the spirit ring before we left the room.

It was going to take us nearly half an hour to get to the jet, and as we drove away from the hotel, my worry was increasing.

"Lissa, do you have a cell phone?" I asked her. She nodded and pulled it out of her pocket, handing it to me. I could only hope that Dimitri had a cell phone and Lissa had the number.

Sure enough, when I looked in her contacts, Dimitri's number was there. I called him up, and after only a ring he answered.

"Belikov," he said. I breathed out in relief.

"Oh, thank God, Dimitri. Did you find Adrian?" I asked quickly.

"Rose? Yes, I found him. He is right here. Why are you calling?" he asked, confusion coloring his tone. I glanced at Victor, who was sitting across from us.

"We have to leave. We found out some new information about what I told you, and we are leaving. Where are you guys?" I asked. I could hear Dimitri relaying my words to Adrian.

"Shit. What are we going to do?" Adrian asked.

"We are walking towards the hotel as we speak. Where are you?" Dimitri asked. I looked around, and realized with a start that we were outside of the normal Vegas area.

"We are... driving out of the city. I don't know exactly where," I confessed. Dimitri was silent for a moment.

"We will catch a cab," he said. Then, "Adrian, hail down a cab. Rose, where are you guys going?" he asked. I looked at Victor questioningly.

"Where are we headed?" I asked.

"We are going about twenty minutes south of Las Vegas. To a landing strip, or at least a place they will be waiting. Somewhere in the middle of the woods. I can give Dimitri directions if you wish," Victor added. And after a moment, I nodded and handed the phone over.

While Victor gave Dimitri directions, I gazed out the window, trying to memorize every detail that we passed, just in case. And after only a few moments, Victor handed the phone back to me.

"Did you get everything?" I asked Dimitri.

"Yes. We are driving toward there as we speak. Rose, try to hold the plane as long as possible. We should only be a few minutes behind you," he said. I nodded.

"I will do what I can. Even if it means knocking out the pilot and having to drive the plane myself. I'll see you both soon then?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered, although I could tell he was tense. I sighed.

"Try not to argue with Adrian too much. He really does have the best of intentions," I reminded him.

"Yes, but he can't shut about you," Dimitri said. I rolled my eyes. That sounded like Adrian.

"Try the best you can. You are the most controlled person I know. And very patient. I will see you soon. Be careful," I added.

"Of course," Dimitri said. What was up with all of these short, clipped answers?

"I will talk to you later," I finally said, preparing to hang up.

"All right. Good bye, Rose. Be safe," he said. I hung up and handed the phone back to Lissa.

"What is happening?" she asked worriedly. I sighed.

"They are doing what they can to catch up with us. They are in a cab driving now," I told her.

We sat in silence for the rest of the ride. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. Lissa snuggled into Christian, who wrapped his arm around her. She was unhappy being so close to Victor. She was interested by his brother, to learn more from him. After all, he was the one who realized you could change a Strigoi back to their original form.

It seemed like forever and no time at all before we were driving up to the jet. And Victor had been correct. It really _was _in the middle of nowhere. But there was a big jet waiting there for us.

I stepped out of the car and looked around anxiously, as if we would see Dimitri and Adrian driving up right now. But the road was empty.

I borrowed Lissa's cell phone again, calling Dimitri up.

"Rose?" Dimitri asked. I nodded.

"Yes. Where are you guys?" I asked anxiously. There was a pause.

"Probably about fifteen minutes away," he finally said. I bit my lip.

"I'll do what I can, but please hurry," I said, and without another word I hung up.

"Victor! They are fifteen minutes away," I said. Victor shrugged.

"Ahh, it is too bad, really," he lamented. I stared at him wide eyed.

"Too bad? What the fuck do you mean too bad?" I yelled. Victor just shrugged again.

"Rosemarie, we must set out immediately. The pilot has a time schedule to stick to, and it is amazing we were able to get him. We have to leave. And isn't it more important to find Vasilisa's sister then bring Mr. Belikov and Mr. Ivashkov? Because the next time we would be able to get a plane would be a week from now, and we can not wait that long. Unless you want to wait a few months?" he asked. I knew he was right, which I hated to admit. But it made sense. And Lissa was more important. I had to help her with this. Dimitri and Adrian could meet up with us in Alaska. Finally, I nodded unhappily. I called Dimitri.

"We can't wait," I said. Silence greeted me. "Dimitri?"

"I am here," he finally said. I sighed.

"I am sorry. We have to go. Lissa's sister might leave at any moment and-" I was cut off.

"My sister?" Lissa cried. I whirled around.

"Shit. Dimitri, you and Adrian can meet us up there. Find a flight and call when you get there. We will see you soon," I promised before hanging up.

"Liss... Please, just listen," I pleaded. She shook her head.

"Just listen! How can you say that? My sister?" she screamed. I could feel the dark feelings of spirit rising in her, making her own emotions that much worse to bear with.

"Let's get on the plane and we can talk about it there," I said soothingly, grabbing her arm to lead her on. But she shook me off.

"Let go of me! You lied!" she yelled. I shook my head.

"I didn't lie. When did I lie? I told you I couldn't tell you," I argued. Christian took that moment to walk up.

"Lissa, what is wrong?" he asked worriedly. She stared at me accusingly.

"I have a sister, apparently!" she yelled. Christian's eyes widened. And then, just to make everything better, Victor strolled over.

"I am sure you are upset, Vasilisa, but we must get on the plane," Victor said. She whirled on him.

"Leave me alone!" she cried. Tears were running down her face. And then I took the darkness from her.

Of course, now it was in me.

**Dun dun dun! LOL. Poor Lissa. Poor Dimitri. Poor Adrian. Actually, really poor Adrian. This is, like, the third time he has been left behind. And of course, Lissa is kind of freaking out about her sister. Smooth, Rose. Real smooth. Anyway, I hope to get another chapter up today. If not... Well, I am going on a trip tomorrow. And, unfortunately, I am going to be gone for a week. Which means that the soonest I could be updating would probably be next Thursday. I know, I know! Bad. But I promise that when I come back, I will update like crazy to make up for it. And I am still planning on writing at least another chapter today. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! And please review! :D**


	18. Chapter 18

**I am trying to write this while finishing my packing, so bear with me! Please enjoy and review! Thank you! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Eighteen

"Rose?" Christian asked wearily, watching me.

"What?" I snapped. Christian put his hands up in surrender.

"Come on, Liss. Let's get you on the plane," he said quietly. But Lissa wouldn't budge. Though I had taken the dark feelings that spirit had conjured, she was still upset.

"I can't believe you, Rose," she whispered brokenly. But I was in no mood.

"I have done _everything _for you. I have given up my _life _to protect you. And I was doing it again by not telling you! I didn't want you to get upset. And now I am a bitch? I am the worst person on the planet? Where do you get off?" I yelled. Lissa's green eyes widened.

"I never called you a bitch," she argued. I shook my head and grinned.

"No, you didn't. But you were thinking it, weren't you? You were thinking, God that bitch. How could she keep this from me? She is the worst friend. I can't believe it. You know what, Lissa? Sometimes the whole world doesn't revolve around you. I fucking broke out of jail so I could help you gain your spot on the council! But does that ever cross your mind? NO! Of course not! Because all you can concentrate on is how I didn't tell you that you had a sister! Well tough shit! Sometimes you don't get to know everything immediately! I mean for God sakes, I was sitting in a jail cell, wondering if I would get to fucking live!" I screamed. Because it was never enough with her. It was always more, more, more. I took a step closer, and then a fire ball whizzed past my head.

"That was a warning, Rose. You aren't in control of yourself. You need to get yourself under control before you get any closer to Lissa," Christian warned. I glared at him.

"You know I could take you out in a second," I threatened. Christian shrugged, lifting his hands which had two fireballs in them.

"Well, at least I will go down fighting," he answered. But Lissa grabbed his arm.

"No, Christian, please," she whispered. Christian glanced back at her.

"I'm not going to seriously hurt her. You know I care about Rose, but if she tries to hurt you, then a few burn marks aren't going to seriously hurt her," he said.

"So, let me get this straight. Lissa freaks out and starts being a bitch and it as all okay? You'll burn me for that? Wow, I guess I should reevaluate who my friends are," I snapped.

"Rose, I'm more upset with my dad then mad at you," Lissa said. I laughed, but it wasn't because I found it funny.

"Oh, really? That whole "I can't believe you did this. You liar" that was all just, what? Joking?" I shrieked. Lissa's eyes were pooling with tears, which made the darkness inside of me happy.

"No, Rose, the spirit-" I cut her off.

"You know what? Fuck this. I am not going to give up everything for you just so you can take me for granted and not trust me," I yelled. And with that I whirled around and ran to the car.

Everyone had already gotten out. Victor's people had pulled the suitcases out from the back and were loading them in. But they had, like complete idiots, left the car running. Which, of course, worked at better for me.

I opened the door, hopped in, and slammed it closed. This was bull shit. And I was getting out of here before I let Lissa ruin my life any farther.

In the rear view mirror I could see Lissa and Christian running after the car, looking frantic. But they were a lot slower than me, and I had my foot on the gas pedal before they could get any where near me. I hit my foot hard against the accelerator and the car lurched forward. I didn't know much about cars, but this one had umph. I zoomed away, and Lissa and Christian got farther and farther.

I couldn't believe this. Lissa had conveniently forgotten everything I had ever done for her. It was just such bull shit. I did everything for her. Everything. I gave up my own life for her, always following her. I had suppressed my feelings for Dimitri because of her. And this is how she repaid me?

I was too angry to pay much attention to the road. And so I didn't realize I was in the oncoming traffic lane until it was too late.

I smashed into the car head first, hitting the side of their car as they tried to get out of my way.

I had been in so much of a hurry to leave that I hadn't bothered to put my seat belt on. And of course I had been going very fast. I couldn't react fast enough; I jerked forward as the air bags deployed, pushing all of the air out of my lungs. And as black dots started to appear on front me, I felt all of the anger melt away. It was as if someone had yanked the bad feelings out of me. And I felt incredibly stupid.

It had been just like after Lissa had been tortured by Jesse and his friends. I had gone on a rampage. But that time Dimitri had been there for me. He had been able to make me see reason. I cringed as I thought of what I had said to Lissa. To Christian. Thank God Christian had been there to protect Lissa. Or at least be there for her. Because despite everything, I had a feeling that I wouldn't hurt Lissa. She was my best friend, no matter what. And I would do anything for her.

There was yelling, but it sounded like it was so far away. And my vision was going in and out.

"What the hell were you thinking, lady? Oh, God, are you okay? Jesus, I gotta call for an ambulance or something. Shit, shit, shit!" some man was yelling. But it seemed to come to me from a tunnel. I couldn't seem to grasp onto reality. And then, finally, I blacked out.

The first thing I could hear was a steady beeping noise coming from somewhere next to me. And the next thing I realized, right after I opened my eyes, was that I was alone. There was no Lissa sitting next to me, her soft hand in mine as she promised I would get better. There was no Christian standing behind her, making wise ass remarks with concern shining in his eyes. There was no Adrian, holding my other hand while still taking a sip of alcohol and begging me to get better. And there was no Dimitri, watching me so carefully, begging me to get better. Telling me he loved me and would look after me.

No, I was alone. And as I recalled what had happened right before I blacked out, I could understand why. Hopefully, and I was hopeful, they were on their way to Alaska right now and would soon find Lissa's sister. I shuddered at the idea of Lissa and Christian alone with Victor; maybe if I was lucky, we had stalled enough that Dimitri and Adrian had arrived before they left. I would feel so much better if they were there.

I tried to feel for the bond, but I couldn't find. Where was it? Had my accident somehow damaged it? But that didn't make sense. I had been a lot worse situations and still been able to slip into Lissa's mind with ease. So where was she?

My panic was rising as I searched in my head. The bond had to be here; it just had to! And then the heart monitor started beeping wildly and two nurses hurried in with anxious expressions on their faces.

"Dear, you really need to stay calm, otherwise you won't over get better," one said, taking her hand in mine. I looked at her, wild eyed. I didn't know her. Where the fuck was I?

I guess, considering my track record, I should have recognized that I was in a hospital. But I had always been cared for in vampire hospitals. And these two women were definitely human. I mentally cursed myself; of course I just had to go and do something stupid. And then, to my intense relief and surprise, a slight buzz of emotion that didn't belong to me was appearing, and then it became so big that Lissa sucked me into her head.

She was sitting on the jet with her head on Christian's shoulder, who was trying to soothe her. But she didn't want to be soothed. She wanted me back.

"Rose will be absolutely fine," Christian murmured. And while usually she would completely agree, this time she was worried. She couldn't get this nagging feeling to go away, and when she opened her eyes and found Victor staring at her from a few aisles down, her unease grew.

"God, I do this to her! This is my fault! The stupid bond has been hurting Rose, and I... she isn't with us because of me!" Lissa sobbed. Christian stroked her hair.

"Rose is one of the strongest people I know, and if any one can deal with the darkness, it is Rose. She is probably hitchhiking to Alaska right now. Hell, we'll probably get there and find her waiting at the door and asking us what took us so long," Christian joked. Lissa smiled. He always knew what to say to make her feel better.

"Thank you, Christian. And maybe you're right," she finally agreed. But she wasn't as sure as she looked. Because underneath she was worrying. And I hated doing that to her.

A new voice spoke up.

"Lissa, seriously, Rose will be fine. I mean, she got out of jail," Adrian said. He was looking at the air around her with worry, and then it hit me. He was reading her aura. But I was just so glad that Adrian was with her and Christian. As I looked at him through Lissa's eyes, I realized how much I had missed him. I mean, I did love him, even if it wasn't the same love I had for Dimitri. I wished he was here with me, just for a second. Hell, any friendly person would be great right about now.

But I couldn't dwell on that. I needed to make sure they were okay.

"Look, as soon as we find your sister, we can go and look for Rose. And I am keeping an eye out for her. The minute she falls asleep I will talk to her," Adrian said.

I wasn't still mad at Lissa, but I found it ironic and slightly annoying that she seemed willing to forgive Adrian so quickly and go on with the rest of their lives, and yet when she had found out I knew, she had called me a liar. I sighed in frustration. And then my so called reasonable side kicked in. Or, it was the more reasonable side. _She had just found out, Rose. _I know that but she didn't need to flip out me because of it. _You knew and didn't tell her. And she found out with you talking to Dimitri over the phone. _I know, okay?

I slipped out of Lissa's mind and sighed. I had fucked up a lot, and I knew that. And no matter how many times I played that scene in my head, I couldn't help it. I couldn't blame Lissa. No, all the blame was laid exactly where it should be: At my door step.

I was starting to feel extremely hazy, and I couldn't figure out why. My first reaction was to panic; any time I slipped under something had happened, was happening, or was going to happen. I thought about who would try to drug me: Victor? Well, no, he had tried to help me. And he was currently on an airplane to Alaska. Tatiana? Well, she was died, so no dice. Any Strigoi? Well, duh. I was out there killing them and protecting the things they wanted. But I knew that if a Strigoi wanted me dead, they wouldn't poison me. They would just snap my neck or drain my blood. But the more I tried to think, the less I was able. And then I remembered. My heart rate had climbed up to unhealthy heights. Of course the nurses would have given me a drug to go to sleep and chill out. At least one good thing was coming from this. I would get to see Adrian.

With that, I closed my eyes, not struggling any more. And I dozed off to sleep.

**Sorry, this took a while because I was packing up for my trip. I couldn't just leave you guys there; I think this is a bit better to end off with for the week then Rose taking Lissa's spirit darkness... :D Hope you enjoyed and I can't wait to get back and start writing again! Thank you again for all of the awesome reviews; I read every single one and I try to adapt my writing to make everyone happy, while still keeping true to what I had in mind. :) So again thank you! And once again hope you enjoyed and please review! See you in about a week!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey! So I have a bit of free time and I figured, since I have the time and the internet, why not be nice and put a chapter up? :D I am on my trip right now, and I am having fun with my friend... We went to go see _Eclipse _and _The Last Airbender _today. And we hung around the mall some. Anyway, enjoy and please review! I loved getting on and seeing all of the reviews and alerts and everything, so thank you! And with that, onto the story. And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Nineteen

I was in the cabin, the little building on the fringes of the Academy. The place where Tasha had stayed when she visited. The place where Dimitri and I had made love. And Dimitri was there, sitting next to me on the bed, looking at me with such intensity I could barely look at him. His eyes were blazing with love, and his hand made his way to mine, curling his fingers around my own. And he was leaning ever closer. His mouth was so close...

The scene dissolved, leaving me at the bar in the Witching Hour, the Moroi facility I had last visited with Adrian, Lissa, and Christian. The place that we had first heard anything about Eric Dragomir's indiscretions.

There was a certain feel to this that made me instantly acknowledge this was an Adrian dream. Of course, I was kind of pissed off. Why did he have to interrupt that particular dream? I was so close to feeling Dimitri's lips on mine... I sighed.

There was no one in sight, not even Adrian. The whole place was empty, including the bartender. So I decided to get my own drink.

I was sitting at the bar already, so all I had to do was jump over the counter to the other side. I bent down, searching in the cabinets underneath.

"What are you doing, little dhampir?" Adrian asked. I looked up and saw his face, his lips curled into a smirk and his green eyes trained on mine. He was leaning over the counter, watching me.

"I am looking for a drink," I explained. But, now that Adrian was here, I didn't want the drink. So I got up and leapt back over the counter.

Before Adrian really even had time to straighten himself, I surprised myself and him by leaning over and wrapping my arms around him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me quickly, joy overcoming his shock. But I felt that stupid guilt uncurling in my stomach. I tried to argue with myself to get the guilt to go away. I mean, what is wrong with a friendly hug? But in that was the problem. It wasn't just a friendly hug. Certainly not to Adrian, and if I was honest with myself, not to me. I cared a lot about Adrian; he had been there for me whenever I needed him, no matter how much it hurt him. He had funded my trip to Russia, no questions asked. He had come with us to meet Victor's brother, even with the realization that I was trying to figure out a way to bring Dimitri back. And throughout all of it, even from the very beginning, Adrian had continually shown his love for me. And while I had initially pushed his actions away as pure flirtation and not actually serious, I realized now that from the very beginning, or nearly the very beginning, it had always been me. He had constantly tried to get me, and I had pushed him away. But he had never faltered. And so that guilt spread.

But even worse than that, the fact that I had never considered his feelings as true, and that even with that I had used his affections for my own selfish reasons, if with that, the knowledge that I actually really truly cared about him was worse. Because a part of me did love him. And I could completely comprehend how cruel I was being. I drew him along like a puppy, following my every command. And it wasn't fair to Adrian.

Yet as I pulled back to look at him, and I saw the twinkling in his eyes and the smile on his face, I knew that today was not the day to say anything. Dimitri had agreed he would try to let me in. But I couldn't stand hurting Adrian, especially after he had always been so great to me. And with everything else going on... I tried to make my not telling him about him. That I was trying to spare him anymore hardship. And in a way it was. I mean, he had just lost his aunt, and his girlfriend had been accused of murdering her. I would say that is pretty damn bad. But it really was I couldn't do this without him. I needed him to be there for me. And if that meant pushing off the heartbreaking truth a little longer, then so be it.

But, of course, I hadn't taken into account Adrian's aura reading abilities. His eyebrows furrowed and he looked at me curiously.

"What is wrong?" he asked. I smirked.

"Well, let's see. I have been accused, and imprisoned, for killing the queen of those I have sworn to protect. My best friend is dealing with the side effects of spirit, which I then suck out of her and have to deal with myself. I was broken out of jail of one the people I hate the most, and he is helping me with finding Lissa's half sibling, which I found out about from a letter from the dead queen. I just went into a spirit induced rage which resulted in my crashing the car and ending up in the hospital and-" I was cut off by Adrian, who was looking extremely worried all of a sudden.

"Crashing? Hospital? What the fuck happened?" he asked. I gaped; I don't know why, but I had kind of assumed that they would know. But of course, how could they know? It wasn't as if the bond worked both ways.

"Oh, right. Well, umm, I'm guessing you heard about the whole spirit incident when you showed up?"I asked, while reminding myself to ask about that later. "Well, I took off with one of the cars, and I was kind of speeding, and I wasn't paying attention to the road and I crashed. And so I am in the hospital right now, a human hospital. Hopefully I will be getting out soon, but they drugged me after my heart rate went up, so here I am. Asleep, in one of your dreams," I explained quickly, trying to pass it off as no big thing but not really succeeding if the concerned expression on Adrian's face was any indication.

"Do you know what is wrong with you?" Adrian asked. I shook my head. I hadn't really had a chance to ask them about it.

"Please don't tell Lissa. I don't want her to worry," I said. He didn't nod or shake his head, and I didn't press it any farther.

"I was hoping that you and Dimitri would catch up with them before they left. Considering the delay and all. How did that happen?" I asked. Adrian looked at me quizzically.

"I'm confused," he finally admitted. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, Adrian, your brilliance astounds me. What are you confused about?" I asked him, smirking.

"What are you trying to ask?" he asked. There was none of the usual ease or lightness in him that there usually was. If anything, it seemed like he wanted to talk more about the incident. But I really didn't.

"When I hung up with Dimitri, I told him to find a flight and meet us in Alaska. And though I was hoping you would catch up and join them, I wasn't really hopeful, because I figured that you would turn around immediately and try to catch the next flight out to Alaska. What made you guys continue forward?" I clarified. His confusion cleared and he smiled.

"Belikov heard Lissa ask about her sister. He had a feeling that there would be a blow up and hoped we would have enough time to get there before you guys left. Obviously, Dimitri was right. We continued forward and found Lissa and Christian watching the road anxiously, while Robert was on the plane and Victor was standing a little bit away, talking to some of his men," Adrian explained. I nodded.

"What happened after I left?" I asked. Adrian's smile dropped.

"Well, Lissa was an absolute mess. She was shocked about her sister, horrified about the blow up with you, and worried sick about you after you drove off. Of course, she was unwilling to get onto the plane without you. She started to run after you, but as you yourself admitted, you were speeding. She didn't stand a chance. And Christian restrained her, trying to make her see sense. There was no way she could get you to stop while running. So she begged Victor to send someone after me. But it wasn't as if there was another car, and anyway he said they really needed to get going. It was around the time Lissa was shrieking at him and Christian was trying to get her to stop that we showed up. I offered to stay behind and look for you, but Belikov refused. Because that would mean he would have to stay behind, or something, and he knew you would want him with Lissa. And he figured that you would want me with them, too. Was he right?" Adrian asked, interrupting the story. Without hesitation I nodded. That was exactly what I wanted. Because the idea of Lissa and Christian alone with Victor was scary. Adrian sighed.

"Damn him for being right. Anyway, after a few more minutes of arguing, Belikov took Lissa aside and talked to her, although about what no one except for him and her know. And she got on the plane, crying, but she got on without someone dragging her. And so here we are now, sitting on the plane, heading towards Alaska without you. Which, how did Belikov know where I was?" he asked suddenly. I was surprised; I thought, with the time together, they would have already talked about everything. But obviously not. And I was too worn to say anything snarky.

"Victor had seen you at the Witching Hour, talking with some people. I sent Dimitri out looking for you," I said. He nodded, and then gave me a peculiar look.

"So you and Belikov are on speaking terms again, are you?" he asked, and there was an unpleasant tone to his voice that could only be called jealous. I sighed. I so did not want to talk about this right now.

"I was always on speaking terms with him, he just wasn't talking to me,"_ Except for to say really cruel things that hurt a lot, _I added mentally. Adrian seemed to pick up on my unspoken words.

"What exactly did happen between you and him, Rose?" he asked. He was looking at the air around me; my aura, if my guess was correct. Which I was pretty sure I was.

"What do you see?" I asked him. I had said similar words many times before, with a flirtatious lilt. _Like what you see? _or _see something you like? _But this time my question had no flirtatious reasons. It was fueled purely by curiosity.

Adrian lifted an eyebrow. Damn him for being able to do that and I can't.

"You, beautiful as always," he answered. I shook my head and frowned.

"Adrian, you know that wasn't what I was asking," I said. He smiled and nodded.

"I know, but I couldn't help myself. Now at what particular moment do you want to know about?" he asked, completely serious. I didn't really like the serious Adrian, because things had to be pretty bad or pretty desperate for him to be completely serious. But I didn't really want him joking around, smoking a cigarette, drinking a vodka, or flirting continuously either.

"When I mention Dimitri, and when you asked about what happened between us," I whispered. He frowned and examined me.

"It's not pretty. I see sadness. Regret. A bit of anger. More sadness. Jesus, there is so much sadness. What the hell happened?" he asked. I shrugged. It didn't matter now anyways; after our conversation yesterday, things were different. Or at least I sure as hell hoped things were different. Because if it went back to how it used to be... Well, I don't think I could stand it.

"It doesn't really matter. I was just wondering," I said. And then I abruptly switched the subject. "Keep an eye on Lissa for me, okay? I may have been working with Victor, but I still don't trust him with an inch of my life. And after what happened before.. I just would really like it if there were a few extra eyes on her. And since I can't be there, or at least I can't be there right now..." I trailed off and watched him hopefully, instilling as much feminine charm into me as possible as I looked up at him through my eye lashes.

"You can't do that, Rose! It is completely unfair. You already know I would do anything for you," Adrian said, and he reached over and kissed me gently. And there was the guilt, right on cue.

"Thank you, Adrian. You can't even know how much that means to me," I said. He smiled.

"You would be surprised, little dhampir. And, as much as I would love to stay and chat, I know everyone is waiting anxiously for me to tell them what you had to say. Any messages you want me to pass on?" he asked. I bit my lip. Of course there were, but if I passed on a message to, say, Lissa, then Dimitri would wonder why I didn't pass one on to him. And obviously it would be awkward and cruel for me to ask Adrian to pass on a message to Dimitri. So I shrugged.

"Just tell everyone I love them and miss them," I said. There, a perfectly generic response. But Adrian frowned.

"Everyone?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Jealous much?" I asked. He shrugged, but I could see it in his eyes. He was totally jealous. "Well, I'm sorry Adrian, but you know how much I love Christian," I joked. Adrian chuckled.

"Oh, little dhampir. I will make sure to tell Christian that, of course. He will be very amused," he laughed. I frowned, pretending to be insulted.

"Adrian, Christian and I have a deep love that can not be erased by anything. You should not be so light and teasing about our love, for it is pure," I said. Adrian laughed, completely diverted from any thoughts of Dimitri.

"Mhm, I'm sure. Good bye, little dhampir. Get better soon so we can see your lovely face again," he said. I nodded and hugged him.

"Will do."

A moment later, and Adrian was gone.

**Chapter Nineteen: done. :D I hope you liked it and enjoyed; I am trying to take the advice of one of my reviewers and slow things down a bit. Sometimes I get to excited with an idea and I just want to rush into it, but I want to make sure that I don't rush things. I am not going to slow it down a bunch, but I will warn you: it might be a few chapters before Rose rejoins the rest of the crew. Yes, there will be Adrian dreams and Lissa moments where Rose slips into her head, but physically she isn't going to be there. But it all depends on how I am feeling at the moment, so don't put much too much stock into what I say. ;D Because right now I am really tired and don't really know what I am talking about. And now I am rambling. So I am going to shut up. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and please review! I don't know when the next time I will update is. I might get some free time and update soon, or it might be more like next Thursday. We shall have to see. And there I go again, rambling. Jeez. Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey! So thank you for the reviews! :D I love hearing from you guys. Anyway, more free time in between nails and rock climbing, so here we are! Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

Chapter Twenty

I was getting extremely tired of this whole, wake up right after speaking to Adrian and then go into Lissa's head to see what Adrian says. And yet, even asleep I knew I wouldn't be able to do that this time. I was, unfortunately, drugged. And so I was going to have to content myself with my dreams. I subconscious hoped that I would go back to my dream before, the one where I was in the cabin with Dimitri, but somehow I really doubted that was going to happen. And I was right. I was suddenly in, of all places, Kirova's office. And she was lecturing me about some misdeed or something. But then I felt a sharp tug.

Even in sleep, Lissa's emotions were filtering into me. And suddenly I was inside her head.

"What? Is she okay? Is she badly hurt? I should be there with her!" Lissa was crying, her emotions a jumble of sadness, worry, fear. Christian was once again by her side, holding her hand and rubbing circles with his thumb.

"Rose doesn't exactly know how badly she is injured, because she got drugged up. Her heart rate went up," he explained. But then Adrian smiled. "But knowing Rose, it is probably some really bad injury. But she will be following us any day anyways."

This did little to console Lissa. If anything, she was more concerned.

"I should be there to fix it," Lissa fretted. Christian rolled his eyes.

"You can't be there every single time Rose has an injury. And anyways, it might be a good idea to lay off the spirit using for right now considering what just happened," Christian said. Lissa sighed. She knew he was right, even if she didn't like it.

"Princess, Rose will be absolutely fine," Dimitri spoke up for the first time. Lissa glanced over at him.

"I know, but I just wish someone was there with her. I mean, she is all alone. And Rose alone is not good. She takes too many chances when she doesn't have to worry about others," Lissa pointed out. And that was totally and completely true. I was for sure going to be at my most reckless by myself. Everyone seemed to recognize the truth in her words.

"Rose will be fine," Dimitri repeated, but this time his words seemed more to reassure himself than any once else.

"Anyway, what else did Rose say?" Christian asked, diverting everyone from their morbid thoughts. Lissa looked up from her nails to watch Adrian.

"She asked me to keep on Lissa, and she asked me to tell everyone that she loves us and misses us." Maybe no one else could pick up on it, but it seemed as if Adrian had more to say. I had a feeling it had to do with our discussion about Dimitri, and when his eyes slid over to him, I mentally winced. _Please, please, please-_

"Can I talk to you?" Adrian finally asked, staring at Dimitri. Lissa was confused, and worried. The idea of them talking about anything was probably not a good one. But after a moment, Dimitri nodded.

"What?" he asked. Adrian shook his head and glanced at Lissa and Christian.

"Not here," he finally answered. He stood up, and with Dimitri following him, went to the back of the large plane.

Lissa turned to Christian, who looked uneasy.

"What do you think..." She trailed off, equally uneasy. She glanced over the seat and looked back to where they were now sitting. Adrian was muttering to Dimitri, who had his guardian mask on.

As Lissa and Christian peeked over the seat edge, Adrian and Dimitri talked. And by the looks of things, it was not going well.

I could guess what the conversation was about. Me, and what he had done to make my aura look that way.

Dimitri's mask broke, and his face was absolutely livid. Lissa could only see the back of Adrian's head, but if the way he was pointing at Dimitri was any indication, he was more than pissed off. And then his voice broke the silence.

"You son of a bitch! You tell me what you did to Rose, or so help me-" Dimitri cut him off, an amused expression glazed over the fury.

"You'll what? Examine my aura? Dream walk? Or maybe you'll just get drunk," Dimitri spat. Adrian's hands twitched into fists.

"What did you say?" Adrian screamed. Dimitri's face froze over.

"That is none of your concern. What happens between me and Roza stays between us. If she did not feel that you should know, then far be it for me to divulge," Dimitri said, his voice cold and controlled.

"Oh, none of my concern is it? Rose is my girlfriend!" Adrian yelled. Dimitri smirked, and I could see where this was going. But I was really hoping I was wrong.

_Be the better man, Dimitri. Let me tell him. He shouldn't find out this way. He has done so much for me, for us. Don't say it. Lissa, please stop them before- _But it was too late. And no one was stopping it.

"Your girlfriend, is she? Well then why was she kissing me and asking me to let her in so we could be together?" Dimitri said, deadly calm. Lissa felt guilt; she had known about it, condoned it, tried to help us back together, barely thinking about Adrian. Or at least, not enough to stop us. And now... Well, now Adrian knew.

Adrian had frozen, his body rigid as the words soaked in. I wished I could be there, wished I could take over Lissa for a moment so I could explain myself. It wasn't fair; he shouldn't have found out that way. And with everything else going on... What was I going to do without him?

"Rose wouldn't have done that," Adrian whispered. And yet, he could see the truth staring at him with brown eyes and a Russian accent. Because even if he wanted to be in denial, even if he wanted to believe that Dimitri was lying, he couldn't. Because he could read auras.

Lissa quickly got up and went to the back of the plane where Dimitri and Adrian were standing, facing each other. She put a hand on each of their arms.

"Let's just sit down, take a deep breath, and talk about this rationally," Lissa said, using her best royal voice. It was enough that Dimitri took a step back and sank into one of the plush leather chairs. But Adrian turned to look at her. And for the first time I saw his face.

He was devastated. He didn't want to believe, and yet the truth was staring him in the face. His eyebrows were pulled together, his mouth was slightly open, and there was such pain in his eyes... I wanted to kill myself for making him feel that.

"Did you know?" Adrian asked, his voice cracking. Lissa was trying to hold back her tears, but as she stared at him she felt a single wet drop fall from her eyes and down to her cheek, where it made a path downward. Finally, after an immeasurable moment, she nodded. His eyes shut in defeat, and he sagged to the ground, leaning up against the wall as he buried his face in his hands. Lissa crouched down beside him, his pain hurting her. She wanted to help him, to comfort him. She knew he was hurting deeply, and she hated that she had known about it. But it was what it was.

She tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but Adrian swatted her hand away.

"Just leave me alone," he whispered. Lissa stared at him for a long moment, her heart going out to him. And then she turned to Dimitri.

"You shouldn't have told him. You should have let Rose tell him," she scolded after a moment. She went to sit down next to him. Her feelings were mixed. She felt horribly bad about Adrian, she wanted him to be happy. But she saw how right Dimitri and I were together. And she knew that our love was... something else. Because only the strongest love could pull me away from Lissa. And she still had that almost motherly instinct when it came to him, the instinct born when she staked him.

Dimitri nodded and glanced over at Adrian.

"I know. He was just..." he trailed off and stared at the ground. Whatever Adrian said must have been pretty bad for Dimitri to lose control like that. Because Dimitri had, like, super control. And if it broke...

"I understand, but Adrian is hurting now. And when Rose finds out, she is not going to be happy," Lissa said. And she was correct. I was _not _happy at all. _I _should have been the one to tell him. But I hadn't been, and now it was too late.

I didn't want to see anymore. But since I was asleep, I really didn't have any choice. I couldn't figure out how to pull myself out without waking up. And with the drugs...

And then a gentle hand was shaking me awake.

"Rose? Rose, wake up," a familiar voice said. And as my eyes drifted open and focused, my panic increased. Because if she was here... Then that could mean only one thing. I was heading back to court.

**This chapter is a little shorter, but I just couldn't resist leaving a cliff hanger. Ideas on who it is? :D I know, I know, evil me. I'll try to update the next time I have some free time! Hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you! And, can I just say... Chapter Twenty! OMG! I can't believe we are already twenty chapters in. But, with that, hope you enjoyed and review, por favor.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey! So thank you to everyone who has been reviewing- I love hearing from you all! Anyway, instead of blabbing up here, I am just going to get on with the story. Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty One

I stared at the petite curly red haired woman standing over me. Her expression conveyed concern, something that isn't usually shown on her face.

"Mom?" I asked blearily. She smiled slightly.

"Rose, how is it that you always seem to get yourself in these situations?" she asked, gesturing to the hospital room at large. I shrugged and winced. There was a dull throbbing pain that was suddenly making itself known.

"What exactly _is _wrong with me?" I asked. My mother actually winced as she looked me over. I couldn't really move my head; it felt heavy, and I didn't bother exerting the effort to move it.

"You have two broken ribs, your right arm is broken, you have a concussion, and your right collarbone is broken," she explained. I sighed.

"Of course it is. How long am I going to have to be here?" I asked. She frowned.

"As long as the doctor needs you to. Abe is speaking to him now," she said. I frowned. Maybe she wasn't here to arrest me. Because why else would Abe... I stopped myself right there. No use getting my hopes up just to have them dashed. He was, after all, my lawyer. Of course he would be here.

"I have to go," I complained. She shook her head, and then Abe walked in with a smile on his face.

"Rose, good to see you up. The doctor will be in here in a moment to check on you," he said, sitting down next to me. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my mother.

"I have to go," I repeated. She shrugged and sat back in the chair she was sitting in.

"That's nice. You are staying right here until the doctor says you can leave." Her voice brooked no argument. With her at least. So I turned to Abe.

"I have something really important I have to do. I need to go," I said. He smiled.

"Meaning you want to meet up with your friends in Alaska," he said. I started to argue, but then shut my mouth. It was no use. _Of course _he would know. "We will all go to Alaska as soon as you are able to move," Abe said.

I wanted to argue with him. I wanted to emphasize how very important it was for me to be there. That I had to get to them as soon as possible. That my presence was desperately important. In my opinion, at least. I should be there with Lissa when she first meets her sister. I should be there to protect her. And I should have been the one to tell Adrian. I needed to get to him as soon as possible, to explain myself. To beg for his forgiveness. Because I wanted him to continue in my life.

I wanted to say all of that. But I knew that no matter how compelling my argument could be, and would be, it would not change either of their minds. So I frowned and stared moodily at the ceiling, one of the few things I could look at.

The doctor walked in a few minutes later, taking in the less than happy atmosphere. He glanced between the three of us and then painted a smile on his handsome face.

"Hello, I am Dr. Hendricks. And you are Rosemarie?" he asked, addressing me with a warm smile. I frowned back. But he was not one to be easily discouraged.

"It is so nice to meet you. Now let's see," he said, and he started flipping through the papers on his clipboard. He finally stopped on one and frowned.

"You have two broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken arm, and a concussion, correct?" he asked. We all nodded.

"Well, we just need to keep you overnight for the concussion, but everything else is taken care of. You are going to have to wear the arm cast for about six weeks. The sling will have to be worn for about the same amount of time, maybe a little longer depending. When you can move your arm with no pain, then you will be good to go. I would suggest coming back in about six weeks so we can check up on it. Would you like to set up an appointment?" he asked. I was about to answer no, when a different voice spoke.

"Yes, please," Abe said pleasantly. I glared at him. What the hell?

"That really isn't necessary," I tried to argue, but Abe shook his head and directed himself to the doctor.

"Please set up an appointment," he repeated. The doctor nodded, and after another smile at me, he left. I tried to turn to Abe, but it didn't really work. So I just turned my head and continued glaring.

"What the fuck?" I hissed. He shrugged.

"It is important to make sure you are completely healed," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"When I meet up with Lissa, she can just heal me," I pointed out. He shook his head.

"After what happened, I think it would be a good think for you and Lissa if she stops using spirit for a while," he said. I bit my lip. I knew it was true, but I also knew how much joy it brought her when she used it. And I wasn't sure if I could take that away from her, even with the side affects.

"It isn't just hurting you. It is hurting Lissa. Because before you take it from her, she has it in her. And it could hurt her, too," Abe pointed out.

In all of our time dealing with spirit, I had never looked at it like that. I had always thought about how good it made her feeling, and about how it was making me crazy. Sure, at first we were dealing with how she was going insane. But that was before we realized I was taking it from her. Then the bad stuff was what I dealt with. And she had the good stuff. But now...

I hated to admit it, but Abe was right. It was hurting both of us, even if it was a short term thing for Lissa. So it looked like I was going to be stuck. In pain. Which was making itself known as the drugs were wearing off.

A nurse came in just as it was starting to become unbearable and she pumped some drugs into the little liquid pouch thing sitting next to the bed. And a little while later, the pain started to ease.

I was going in and out of conciousness. When I was aware of my surroundings, I reminded my parents I needed to leave. When I wasn't aware, I was having nightmares.

Adrian's face kept swimming up in front of me. And every time he surfaced, he was accusing me. Yelling at me. Telling me he hated me. And all I could do was stay there and cry. Because his cruel words were true. I had hurt him. I had betrayed him. I had cheated on him. And I had used him.

**Poor Rose. I just keep beating the crap out of her. :( I love Rose, don't get me wrong. It's just when I start writing, the story flows. Yesterday, when I was writing the scene with Dimitri and Adrian, I was literally yelling at the computer; you can ask my friend. I was telling Dimitri not to tell Adrian... but it only seemed right. It flowed. It was as if I wasn't the author. The story was already there, and I was just copying it down. Which probably seems silly, but that's how it is for me. Does anyone else get that? Anyway, hope you enjoyed. It was kind of a short chapter, but it seemed like that was the end. Hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, so poor Rose. Hit after hit after hit. She really deserves some happiness, huh? Well, I want to again thank everyone who is reading this story, and even more so those who take their time to review! You would not believe how reassuring it is to see the reviews. Anyway, enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty Two

I fell asleep, my mind finally letting me have some peace. At first it was a continuation of the nightmares haunting my subconcious- Adrian yelling at me. Accusing me. But then it blurred and went away, leaving me sitting on a beach in a tiny bikini top and a pair of jean short shorts.

I immediately recognized the signs of an Adrian dream. Which almost scared me more than the nightmares that had been occurring. The images my subconscious were drawing up were bad enough; I wasn't sure what I would do if our meeting was worse.

Actually, I was surprised he was even bothering. Because the best way to freeze me out would be to not visit.

He stepped out of the trees with a lazy smile on his face. I scrambled up from my position on the sand and hurried over to him.

"Adrian, let me explain," I begged. But he waved his hand as if to get rid of me. But it was more my words that he didn't want to hear.

"Little dhampir, I already knew this day would come. Ever since Dimitri came back, I knew that I would one day lose you to him. I had kind of hoped to learn about it from you, but nevertheless, I am not mad. Or, I am, but more at him than you. He should have given you the opportunity to tell me," he said calmly. I could barely believe my ears.

"So, you're not mad. And you are just going to let him have me?" I asked, stunned. And a little annoyed. What happened to all that love that he seemed to profess for me?

"Don't worry, little dhampir. I am by no means just giving up for you. Because you know that I love you too much for that," he said, and he took my hand in both of his. "I know that you care about Belikov, but I also know that you love me, too. Maybe not the same way, but you do. And I love you. And what kind of man would I be if I didn't fight for you?" he asked. I grinned unwillingly.

"Adrian, you are too good to me," I whispered. He nodded.

"I know. That's why you love me. That and my stunning wit, amazing charm, and devilish good looks," he joked. I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, Adrian. Of course that is _exactly _what it is," I said. Adrian grinned.

"Now, what is it you want to know?" I asked. Adrian pretended to be hurt.

"And why do you suppose that I came here to get information from you? I just wanted to see your pretty face," he said. I rolled my eyes and started to tap my foot, waiting for him. Finally, he sighed.

"Have you found out what is wrong with you? How long until you can follow us?" he asked, his face going serious. I bit my lip. Did I really want to tell him? The answer was no. Because, if nothing else, he would spread the news. And Lissa would hear about it and freak out. But then again, it wasn't fair to keep anything from them. I mean, I saw what happened the last time I didn't say something to Adrian. And not saying something might make them worry more than saying something.

"Two broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken arm, and a concussion," I rattled off quickly. For a moment he just stood there, staring at me. And then he laughed.

"Only you, Rose, only you," he chuckled. I frowned.

"Is that all you have to say about my pain?" I asked him. His laughter dried up immediately and he watched at me seriously.

"I am very sorry, Rose. So how long do you think?" he asked. I grimaced and shrugged.

"I don't know. The doctor wants me back in about six weeks, and stupid Abe agreed to setting up an appointment. And he and Janine are being pretty annoying about me getting out," I complained. He froze up.

"Janine and Abe are there? With you?" he asked. My eyes widened as I realized what I said. Of course they wouldn't know about that. But I put a smile on.

"Of course they are," I said, trying to pass it off as nothing at all. But Adrian frowned.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Not really sure. We didn't really discuss them taking me back to court. But I think it is a good thing," I said. And then I felt a tug away from the dream, and away from Adrian.

"You're waking up," he explained with a small smile. I frowned. I wasn't ready to stop talking to Adrian. But then he disappeared and I was once again staring at the ceiling of the hospital room.

"Rose, the doctor said you can leave," my mother said. I nodded, and then I saw the wheelchair.

"Hell no," I said. Abe smiled.

"You have to ride in it," he said. I shook my head.

"No. No way. No fucking way. There is no way you are getting me in that thing," I argued. My mother rolled her eyes.

"You are going to have to use it for a while, Rose," she said. But they would have to kill me before they got me in that... _thing._

But it turns out that they didn't matter what I wanted or felt. Because the next thing I knew, my evil mother was picking me up from the bed and moving me to the wheelchair. At least one thought kept me from throwing myself out of the chair, broken ribs and all.

"At least it is only to the car," I muttered. Abe chuckled.

"Wouldn't you like to think so," he said. I looked up to where he was walking next to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, suspicion flaring up in me.

"Oh, that is my personal wheelchair that I bought for you," he explained. And I felt my whole world crash down around me in those few words.

"This. Is. Your. Wheelchair." I could barely contain my anger, but I knew that an explosion would only hurt me. Because I wouldn't even be able to do anything with my right arm.

Abe nodded, completely unafraid of my anger. My mother was walking behind me, pushing the wheelchair. She had to _push _me. I felt like I could die.

We were out of the hospital soon enough, and sitting outside was a black sedan which I figured belonged to Abe. And then I remembered: I still didn't know which side they were on.

"Am I going back to court?" I asked, eyeing the car wearily. Abe laughed.

"No, of course not. We are taking you to Alaska," he said. I felt relief, and then discomfort. I looked up at my mother, still standing behind me with her hands on the handles.

"What about you? Aren't you supposed to be guarding?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Yes, I am. But I have always put my guardian responsibilities before you. Always. But this time I am not going to. This time I am going to be here for you," she said. I was completely surprised. Since the moment I was born, she had put being a guardian in front of me. She hadn't been there. Instead, she had dropped me off at the Academy at a young age. And granted, that had been how I had met Lissa, but still... I had never had a real mother figure. So the idea of her putting _me _first- I kind of found it hard to believe, to say the least.

Getting me into the car was a battle in and of itself. My mother had to carefully scoop me up and put me in the car, careful not to hurt anything. And then they had to fold up the heavy wheelchair and put it into the trunk.

After they had finally gotten everything settled, they climbed into the car, Abe in front with my mother sitting next to me. And, finally, I was on my way to Alaska.

**Adrian is way too good to Rose. But, like someone said in a review, Adrian should fight for Rose. Because no one as good to Rose as Adrian is would just give Rose up without a decent fight. And as Adrian pointed out, what kind of man would he be if he didn't fight for what he wanted? ;D Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and as always, please review! I love hearing your comments. I'll try to update as soon as possible.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey! So, Sunday I went horseback riding... I love horses and horseback riding, but I was sitting in a saddle for nearly three hours. Needless to say, I am still really sore. *sigh* And then yesterday, three of my friends came over and we all had a sleepover, just like old times! It was so awesome and we had a lot of fun... and we watched _Aladdin, The King and I _(the old animated one), _The Little Mermaid, Percy Jackson_, and some of the _Avatar: The Last Airbender _shows... LOL. Going into our junior year and we still love watching cartoons! And we had lots of sugar... ice cream, chocolate chips, red vines, root beer, and other yummy things! Ahhh, what fun. Anyway, there is my reason for not updating. And the day after tomorrow (does anyone else think of the movie and doom whenever they hear those words?) I will be home. Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty Three

As I sat next to my mother, I still couldn't believe she was here. With me. Giving up everything she had ever worked for to help me. And in so many ways, it seemed too good to be true. But I guess sometimes a girl has to a catch a break, even a shadow kissed one like me.

You would think riding with a mobster father and a badass mother on a mission that will change everything would be, oh, I don't know. Interesting. But my parents can be completely low key when they want to be. Even Abe, with his colorful scarf and his henchman driving the car. As we sat in complete silence, I found my mind wandering.

Things with Adrian had gone a million times smoother than I thought. He had not only _not _been mad, but he was still his usual easy going self, something I had not expected. My mind had conjured up images of an angry, bitter, upset Adrian that had wracked my subconscious for hours before we spoke. But now I was cleared. I had gone before the jury and been found innocent. Which only brought my mind to the one place I probably shouldn't dwell. My court case.

I had to be kind of proud of myself. At the fact that people perceived me as a badass. That I had built up a reputation. But as I was now just realizing, maybe it wasn't the reputation I wanted. Sarcastic? Sure. Badass? Hell yes. Dangerous? To Strigoi. But not to Moroi.

I was a guardian. From a small age, I had been trained to kick ass and protect the Moroi. The saying _they come first _had been drilled into my head from day one. My own mother had stuck me into an academy instead of caring for me, because she felt her duties were more important. I had always thrown myself out there for Lissa, my best friend. And when we returned to the Academy after our two year stint in the human world, I had thrown myself into being a guardian. I had trained hard to catch up. I had gotten myself bruised, tossed around, beaten up, all in pursuit of being the best guardian I could be. So I could do my very best at protecting Lissa. So while I wanted a certain reputation, I didn't want Moroi to think I was dangerous to them. If anything, it kind of hurt. That I had given up everything so I could protect them. And they were so willing, at the slightest bit of evidence, to cast me in the royal of betrayer. To kill me.

But as I had thought before, I was a little smug. That I had a dangerous reputation. It was just working against me for once, instead of for me.

Because I had run into Strigoi, and they had known my name. They had been afraid. Or at least, I liked to think so.

But either way, whether I liked my reputation the way it was or not, I was in trouble. Because someone had framed me for the murder of Queen Tatiana. And they had planted convincing evidence: my stake. Which they must have stolen out of my room. And while Adrian had no problem going before judge and jury and swearing he was with me all night, which he was, it still didn't change anything. They thought I murdered her. And they wanted to kill me for it.

And I knew that by escaping jail, they were only going to think worse of me. Because everyone always says only the guilty run. Which in my case is not true. I just had an important mission I had to take care of. Because if I was going to die, I wanted to make sure Lissa was set up. I wanted to make sure she had her place on the council without having to get married or have children. Although I know Christian would be more than willing... I grinned. Yes, Christian would help Lissa with anything she needed. For which I would be eternally grateful.

But every time I thought of someone doing something for Lissa, my mind would turn to Victor. Because it just seemed too good to be true. Just like my mother being here instead of guarding someone. Just like Dimitri really being back and us having worked through our problems. Just like Adrian not blowing up on me and condemning me as the worst kind of person. But in Victor's case, I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because while I believed he did want what he said, a link to Lissa, I also think that there was something more to the story. And he had said he knew who had killed the queen. But how would he know? How could he possibly know? I felt as if there was some desperately important piece of the puzzle missing. But for the time being, I could only wait and watch. Because for now Victor _was _helping us, him and his crazy spirit brother.

Adrian had really been so great about the whole thing, although I had a feeling that he wasn't as calm when he was talking to Dimitri as he was when he had talked to me. I was going to have to talk to Dimitri about that.

It had been my responsibility to speak to Adrian. To explain. To make it is as easy as possible for him. And I cared about him. I didn't want him hurt, especially not because of me. And while I understood why Dimitri had done it, and I had seen the writing on the wall, it hadn't been right. For any of us. It hadn't been right for Adrian to find out that way. It hadn't been right that I hadn't been given the chance to tell him. It hadn't been right that Dimitri had felt he needed to tell Adrian. The whole situation was messy. But there was one thing for sure; Dimitri and I were going to have a discussion about it. And unlike with Adrian, I wasn't going to put it off until someone else said something. It had to be dealt with. Because it hadn't been fair.

"Life isn't fair, Rose," Abe murmured from the passenger seat. I glanced up at him and frowned.

"You said it hadn't been fair. And while I don't know exactly what piece of your life you are talking about, I can very safely say that life isn't fair," Abe explained. I sighed and went back to my thoughts.

Lissa. My sister. My best friend. The one I was sworn to protect. The one I would give my life for. The one person I would give Dimitri up for. And yet, when she had begged for me to stay after Dimitri was turned, I had refused. I had said that it was for me. That I needed to do it. I had left my best friend to go stake the man I had loved. Loved. Because I still loved him. Yet, when things had gotten down to the crunch, when Dimitri had threatened Lissa... I was prepared to stake him. It was finally the moment when I wouldn't have hesitated. When I would have finally released him from his soulless state. Because no matter what, with Dimitri threatening her, I would have chosen her. No questions asked. I was ready to release him.

Back when I was at the Academy, when I was first having the Mason sightings, and all the ghosts had been bombarding me on the plane, they had put me into therapy. And the therapists had asked whether I was resentful towards Lissa. And my answer had been no. Most definitely no. But there were times when I was, if I was completely honest with myself. There were times when she was with Christian and I was envious because that was something I could never have. By no stretch of the imagination did I want Christian. He was like a brother to me, but nothing more. But the fact that Lissa could have an open relationship. That she could kiss Christian, and hold his hand, and marry him one day, and have kids. Ya, I guess I was resentful that I couldn't and she could. I would always have to be the shadow. Even guarding my best friend, my first and only job would be her protection. Which means that a relationship with, say, my hot Russian instructor would be completely not okay. Especially if we were both guarding her.

Of course, we thought we had worked through that. When we walked through the woods that day when he was taken, he had said he could get a place at court. Where we could be together. But, of course, then he had been taken. And I had left Lissa. But even before, things would have been difficult. People would not be accepting. And I guess I was resentful to Lissa for that. And at the fact that everything seemed so perfect for her. So much easier for her.

But then, as I felt her emotions humming in the background, I was reminded about how difficult it really was for her. She was in a world where she was watched all the time. Where she had to be perfect all the time. Her parents and brother were dead; I had almost died but she had brought me back and we were now bonded. She was under the immense amount of pressure being the last of the Dragomirs. And on top of it she was dealing with the affects of spirit. No, her life wasn't easy. But it wasn't as bad as mine. Or, not in my opinion, at least.

My thoughts were interrupted by my mother, who was shaking me awake. For once I had escaped without an Adrian dream, a nightmare, anything. Just me and my thoughts.

"We are stopping for the night," she informed me. I nodded blearily, but it was the weirdest thing. When I looked out the window, it was dark.

**Hey! So this is really the first chapter that deals solely with Rose and her thoughts. No Adrian dreams, no going through the bond to visit Lissa. Just Rose and her thoughts. The next chapter will deal a little more with Rose's thoughts, and probably Adrian visiting. But I don't want to say anything else and give too many details. What do you think? Did you like the chapter? Was it too much of a recap? Hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you! **


	24. Chapter 24

**I am back home! While I loved visiting my friends, I am glad to be back in my own home with my family. Sunday, we are finally going to see _Toy Story 3 _together! Anyway, enjoy and please review! Love hearing from you! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty Four

The hotel room was like any other hotel room: it had two queen sized beds with a night table in between. There was a small table with two chairs, one lamp sitting on the table. There was a small bathroom at the back of the room. As I said, any other hotel room.

Usually I would have collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, happily stretching out after the long car ride. Now, I glared at the bed from my wheelchair. Yes, my wheelchair. God help me.

"This sucks," I muttered. Abe chuckled.

"It could be worse," he reminded me. I grimaced and glared at him, threatening all manners of terrifying things without even speaking. But there was a reason he was my father. He gave me the glare right back, but the difference was, his was actually really scary. No wonder people were so afraid of him.

I turned my glare to the bed again. "This is bull shit."

My parents had their backs turned. They were surveying the room, looking in the bathroom and the closet. So I took the opportunity to lift myself out of the chair.

I had to be thankful that the bed was so close. Because while my legs worked just fine, my ribs ached at the sudden movement. Stretching my body like that was so not an option. I gasped out the pain and collapsed on the bed, facedown, my arm underneath me.

"Shit," I cursed, gasping for breath, which only made the pain worse. I heard footsteps and then cursing.

"Damn it, Rose, you couldn't just let us help you," my mother yelled. I sighed into the comforter, and then, using my left arm, I helped flip myself around, causing another spasm of pain to go through my body.

"So this is what it is like not having a healing spirit user for a friend," I muttered. Abe rolled his eyes, seeing I wasn't seriously hurt, while my mother glared at me with her hands on her hips.

"You need to get a grip! You have to take care of yourself and realize that you aren't always going to be able to do everything yourself! Sometimes you need help," she said. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Mom, you can spare me the lecture. I am well aware I can't do everything myself. If I could, I would use the spirit myself," I mocked. I reopened my eyes to stare at her. She glowered, but then Abe came over, stepping between us and directing himself to her.

"She needs rest, Janine. Leave her alone for now," Abe murmured. And after a moment of her glaring at me over his shoulder, she nodded and turned away. Although it wasn't as if they could really go anywhere to leave me alone.

I closed my eyes again, relaxing my body. This whole weak crippled shit was driving me insane. So the best way to escape it was to fall asleep. Because I certainly didn't have the same restrictions in my dreams.

But I was no sooner in the dream land when Adrian pulled me out of it, and into one of his infamous dreams. I was sitting in a hot tub, the water bubbling around me. Steam was rising from the surface and into the air, and as I looked down, I could see jets pushing water into the tub. And I could see the tiny black bikini Adrian had decided to put me in. I sighed and looked around for Adrian, who took that moment to walk through the door.

"Little dhampir, a pleasure to see you," Adrian said appreciatively, looking me up and down. I frowned.

"You couldn't have put me in something a little less…." I trailed off, searching for the right word. Adrian grinned as he slid in next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Sexy? Alluring? Irresistible?" he suggested. I rolled my eyes.

"Provocative?" I asked. He chuckled and once again had his green eyes roam my body.

"Damn, Rose. You look even better than I could have imagined," he said, ignoring me.

"So, what is happening?" I asked him, ignoring _him_. He frowned.

"Well, tensions are really high, for obvious reasons. And everyone freaked out when I told them how bad off you were. Lissa wanted to jump off the plane that moment and go to you to heal you, but obviously Christian shot _that _idea right in the butt. Personally, I was all for it," he commented. I glared at him; he thought it was a good idea for my best friend to jump out of a flying plane?

"I was going with her, obviously," he continued. I still glared. "How are things there?" he asked. I dropped the glare and frowned.

"It sucks," I said, not bothering to explain. But he looked at me curiously and I sighed. "I am in a fucking wheelchair."

For a moment he just stared at me, and I had to wonder if he had heard me. But then he doubled over laughing, his face nearly touching the water. He watched me through watering eyes as he clutched his side, laughing so hard it looked like it hurt.

"What is so funny?" I snapped. Usually that would get him to stop, but this time was different. If anything, he laughed harder.

"The infamous, indestructible, hard headed, invincible Guardian Rose Hathaway is in a wheelchair," Adrian choked out as he laughed. And so I did the only thing I could do. I reached over and hit him on the head.

His laughter cut off and his hand darted to his head. His watering green eyes glared at me as he touched the place I had hit him.

"What was that for?" he asked. I glared.

"For laughing, ass hole," I said. And I got up out of the hot tub and headed to the table, where a fluffy white towel was waiting. I wrapped it quickly around my body, and was just about to move on when a wet hand clutched my wrist. I turned around slowly to stare at Adrian.

"What?" I snapped. He looked properly apologetic.

"I'm sorry I laughed. Although you have to admit, it was funny," he muttered. I lifted my head to hit him again, but he put his hand up to ward me off. "Well, wouldn't you laugh if, like, Belikov was in a wheelchair?" he asked.

Instantly images flashed through my mind. Dimitri hurt. Dimitri paralyzed. Dimitri in a wheel chair. I stared horrified at Adrian, whose joking expression fell from his face and was replaced with something suspiciously like disgust.

"Of course it wouldn't. Because if dear old Dimitri got hurt, it would be the end of the world and how dare anyone laugh. I shouldn't have said anything," he muttered, bitterness lacing his words. And this time he was the one to start walking away.

"Wait! Adrian," I said. He turned around.

"Yes?" he asked. I stared at him.

"Don't be mad at me. I am a cripple, you know," I reminded him with a smirk. He looked me up and down again and grinned.

"You sure don't look like one," he said. And he walked back over to place his hands on my hips. And at the moment, it felt so nice, I couldn't even really care. But then Dimitri's face flashed through my mind and I pushed Adrian away. Gently. But he was still hurt.

"Of course. Rose, you don't even know what is good for you," Adrian said, serious. But then he went back to being the lighthearted guy I knew and loved. He grabbed the wine bottle that was sitting on the table and poured into two cups, also sitting on the table. I couldn't believe I had missed them.

"Have a drink," he offered, pushing a glass into my hand. I shook my head and placed it on the table. Adrian sighed.

"This is a dream. You are asleep. You won't get drunk," he promised. I wrinkled my nose and shook my head, staring at the wine.

"I know, but it still feels… wrong," I said. Adrian shrugged and took a gulp from his own glass. I lifted my eyebrows.

"I thought you were giving that up?" I asked. Adrian looked at me with a smile.

"I was trying to give up drinking, most of the time. And that was when we were dating. And while I said I wasn't going to stop fighting for you, technically we aren't together anymore. So technically, I can drink as much as I want," he said, taking another gulp. I rolled my eyes but didn't argue with him. He looked at me from over his drink.

"So, a wheelchair, huh? That must suck," he said, trying to keep a straight face. So I whacked him on the back of the head. His smirked transformed to a grimace.

"Jesus, Rose, you can't keep doing that," he cried out. I smirked and shrugged.

"Actually, I can," I said. He shook his head.

"You are supposed to be a guardian. Which means no hurting me, since I am a Moroi," he insisted. I frowned. And then the dream started to disappear.

"Waking up, little dhampir. I love you!" he called out before I woke up. Abe was lounging on the other bed, watching some news channel. It was right now broadcasting a commercial for Glad. _Don't get mad. Get glad! _I sighed and looked over at him.

"Could you turn that off?" I asked him. He shook his head just as the actual news came on. But they were only reporting on some new iPhone. Version 4.0 I think. But I wasn't really paying attention.

"Where's Mom?" I asked Abe as my eyes trailed across the room. Abe looked over at me and smiled.

"Your mother is perfectly fine. She went to go get some food," he answered, turning his gaze back to the television. I instantly perked up. Food?

"What is she getting?" I asked excitedly. I couldn't remember the last time I had decent food. Abe smirked; I probably sounded like a little kid at Disney World.

"Probably just some pizza," he answered. But my stomach smiled. Pizza... Mmmm.

We sat in silence, Abe watching the television while I stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to come up with different suspects for murdering the queen. Victor? That was my first instinct. But if he was helping us, then why would he do that? I guess to get Lissa the crown, but it still didn't really make sense. Of course, he did have those spirit rings, and with all of those spirit users... they could do some serious damage. But he had said he thought he knew who the killer was. If he had done it, he would know. So who else? I guess any of the royals who were opposed to the Age Law might do it, but... I felt like it was unlikely. Of course, royals are scheming Moroi. And they want power. Anyone power hungry enough could have done it. If they felt that they would do better as the King or Queen, they might have felt like it was time for Tatiana to go. But that left more than half of the royals up for suspicion. And then there was lonely old me. Just a guardian, a dhampir. And I had made myself so easy to pick on, with my rash words and actions. Running off to Russia and Las Vegas, calling the queen a sanctimonious bitch. It's funny how those things count against you when the queen turns up dead.

But my thoughts were diverted when my mother walked in holding two boxes of large pizzas. The smells wafting from the boxes were literally making my mouth water. Oh, pizza...

**Sorry for the long wait for the chapter! Busy busy busy... Goodness, I am tired. But anyway, hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey! Thank you for your awesome reviews! I love hearing from you guys! Enjoy and please review! **

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

**P.S. Check out my sister, DeadlyRedAlice! She is writing stories about _Teen Titans_ for anyone interested, and while I haven't actually read them because I would be totally lost thanks to my not watching _Teen Titans_, I know she is a great writer! :D**

Chapter Twenty Five

I was getting really tired of this sitting around thinking. I wanted to be kicking Strigoi butt, protecting Lissa, finding out who murdered the queen, _something. _But sitting here, waiting on my parents schedule? Not working for me. And sitting in a wheelchair being pushed around? Definitely not working. So when my parents went to sleep at night, my mother sleeping in the chair near the door and my father sleeping in the other bed.

I wasn't sure how I was going to do this without being caught. I had a feeling that Abe would have men stationed outside the door. But who was I to know?

I slipped off of the bed, concealing a groan of pain. My mother shifted in her sleep; she was obviously tired, otherwise she would have woken up. As it was, her eyelids flickered slightly. But the heavy sound of her breathing never ceased. And my father was out cold.

Thankfully I hadn't messed up my legs, and as long as I was careful, I should be fine walking. It was just abrupt shifts of my body that really hurt.

I walked quickly and quietly to the door, pausing with my hand on the doorknob as I listened careful. There was still just the careful sound of breathing. Sitting on the table next to my mother was Abe's wallet. Why he would leave it sitting there was beyond me, but I realized I would need the money. So I carefully picked the wallet up and stuffed into my jean pocket.

As I put the wallet away, I saw my hand. And the silver spirit ring was missing. I glanced around the room helplessly; I couldn't take the time to search around. And then I spotted it. Sitting on top of the television, the little silver ring looked as if it had been put there purposefully. I glanced at Abe's sleeping form; had he known I was going to run?

It didn't matter. I grabbed the ring and slipped on my finger. The image in the mirror flickered for a moment and then settled in, revealing a pretty brunette. She was slim and pale, just like any Moroi. But as I stared at the girl, I found myself disliking it. I liked myself. But there was no time to sit around and ponder. I had to leave. And without hesitating, I slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind me.

I felt a slight bit of guilt. They were trying to help me, and they were getting me to Alaska. Just their pace was too slow. And they were practically coddling me. And Rose Hathaway does not like coddling. Although I had to admit that I probably wouldn't mind a certain Russian god coddling me. But after a moment of imagining Dimitri trying to coddle me, I shuddered. No, coddling was not something I tolerated.

As I walked down the beige hallway of the hotel, I started to wonder where Abe's henchmen were. He wouldn't seriously not have people stationed around the room, would he? But Abe was a bit weird. But then I finally spotted the henchmen. As I turned the corner to the elevators, two men appeared on either side of me.

"Where are you going, Miss Hathaway?" the one on the right asked. I grinned.

"I am going to go get some ice," I said lightly. But I was not fooling anyone.

"Miss Hathaway, we are going to have to take you back to your room," the one on my left said, and then he made a mistake. He put his hand on my arm.

I was injured, yes, but I was still a kick ass guardian. And I could still, literally, kick their ass. And I still had my left arm.

I yanked my arm away from him and twisted my body so I could kick him in the stomach. Being crippled, they had underestimated. And they were completely unprepared.

I got Leftie in the stomach and I heard an umph as the wind was knocked out of him. And then I turned and practiced my round house kick straight into Rightie's jaw. Leftie was finally recovered enough to try to tackle me, but I flipped around and smacked him in the jaw, which sent him into the wall. He slid down, knocked out. And with one final turn, I got Rightie in an underhanded stomach punch. And while it didn't knock him out, it left me enough time to slip into the stairs exit and get away.

I hurried down the stairs, trying not to jolt my body too much. And then, finally, I was in the lobby.

There was no one at the counter, which just worked better for me. Unseen, I slipped out the front door.

I paused right outside and pulled out the wallet. And stuffed inside was more money than I had ever seen. And at least two credit cards, but if my first excursions in Las Vegas had taught me anything, it was that I could be tracked if I used a credit card. For a moment my fingers hesitated over the cards; I could just throw them out. But I decided against it.

Having one arm was really annoying. I put the wallet in my right hand and pulled out two hundred dollar bills with my left. Sitting at a valet counter was a younger girl, probably in her teens, dozing off. I walked up to her and tapped her on the arm. She jerked away, and then a blush spread across her features.

"May I help you?" she asked politely, tripping over the words. I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I need a taxi," I told her. Without another word, the girl grabbed her cell phone out and called a taxi company, giving them the address of the hotel. So we were in California. Her eyes kept drifting over to me. And then she hung up.

"Someone will be here in five minutes," she said. I nodded gratefully and then glanced over my shoulder towards the door, half expecting Abe to come storming out this very minute. And I had a feeling I didn't want to see Abe truly angry. I stood leaning against a wall, watching the door, prepared to run. The girl noticed, and after a few moments, she spoke.

"Why are you leaving? It is the middle of the night," she said. I shrugged and glanced back towards the door. Her green eyes moved over me, pausing on the cast.

"Did someone kidnap you?" she whispered, her eyes widening. I laughed and shook my head.

"No, not really. I just need to get some place and- Hey, you're a Moroi!" I said suddenly, my own eyes widening as I looked at her. And it was true. She nodded sheepishly.

"Ya," she admitted. I frowned and looked at her. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. She had light green eyes and straight dark hair that looked a little too perfect. Her face seemed familiar though. But I was just too damn tired and anxious to go into a deep examination.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, gesturing towards the hotel.

"My mom figures that it would be good for me to have my own job, and make my own money. Character building, she calls it," the girl said, rolling her eyes. I was skeptical though. What type of mother would send their daughter out unprotected during the night. I glanced around, searching in the shadows, but found no one.

"Where is your guardian?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"I don't have one. Never have, probably never will," she admitted. I stared at her, dumbfounded. She must be an idiot.

"You do realize there are Strigoi out there, right?" I asked her. She shrugged again as if it didn't matter, but her eyes drifted around the area uneasily.

"I can take care of myself," she said decisively. And just then my taxi rolled up. I stared at her for a moment.

"What is your name?" I asked. She smiled serenely.

"Ariella," she said. And then she looked around again.

"Where are your guardians?" she asked. I shrugged and smiled.

"I can take care of myself," I mimicked. She giggled, and then the taxi beeped. I whirled around angrily.

"One minute!" I yelled. I turned back to her.

"It was nice to meet you," I said, almost unsure. Because it had been nice. There was something about Arielle. And then it clicked. She looked like Lissa. I gasped.

The same jade green eyes, the pretty face, the hair... I had thought it looked a little too good. She had probably dyed, although why anyone would want to get rid of that gorgeous blonde I had no idea. Being in California, her and her mom, her age... it all fit together. God, I really was out of it. Maybe I was still under the drugs, or something.

The taxi beeped again, but this time when I turned around I just gave the driver my middle finger. And with a disgusted look and a rude word, the man drove off.

"You probably shouldn't have done that," Ariella commented lightly. But I just smiled at her.

"What is your last name?" I asked. And while a moment before she had been light and sweet, her expression now became weary.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked cautiously. Which pretty much gave me my answer, but I still wanted to hear her say it.

"Ariella, I am a friend. Trust me," I said. Of course, I was getting really impatient. I wanted to hear the words come out of her mouth. I wanted her to admit she was a Dragomir.

"Why should I trust you? I don't even know you. What is your name?" she snapped. I raised my eyebrows.

"I will tell you who I am if you tell me your last name. And trust me, it will be well worth it," I told her. She sighed and looked away for a moment.

For a brief second I thought about just tackling her and taking her up to the room. But if she was Lissa's sister, I didn't want to frighten her. And it would be difficult to keep her contained and quiet with only one arm. And, if she was a spirit user, which I was hoping she was, then she could easily compell me to forget the whole thing. So I stayed where I was. And finally she turned to me and answered.

"My last name is Dragomir."

**Go Rose! Only out for a moment and she finds Lissa's sister. Oh, she is good. :D I have to say, when I started this chapter, this was soooooo not how I imagined it. Like, at all. First, Rose didn't have the spirit ring or any money. Then, when I changed that, Lissa's sister was a boy. Who was just helping her get a taxi to Alaska. Except, now she doesn't need to go to Alaska, does she? She can just tell them to come here. The last two chapters have been kind of blah, a bit of filler, which every book has. You have to have it. But it doesn't change the fact that I think everyone wanted some more action. So voila! Anyway, hope you enjoyed! The next chapter should be up soon. Please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**LOL. Good thing Rose didn't go to Alaska with everyone else... funny how these things work out! :D Anyway, enjoy and review! Thank you to everyone who is reading, and to those who are taking their time to review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty Six

It was understatement to say my parents were surprised when I knocked on the hotel room with Arielle in tow. She was frightened, and unsure, but I had promised her all would be made clear as soon as she came with me. And maybe it was my amazing people skills, although somehow I doubted it, but she seemed to trust me. The trust was thin, it was a stretch, but it was there.

My mother opened the door, and for a moment she stared at me, just blinking at me. And then understanding dawned in her expression. And there was definitely anger.

"Rosemarie," she snapped, grabbing my arm and tugging me in. I grabbed Arielle's arm and yanked her in with us, and then the door was shut and I was staring at two very angry parents.

"Rosemarie?" Arielle asked, confusion in her voice. I turned to her and smiled.

"Yes, Rosemarie, but nobody _ever-_" I narrowed my eyes at my mother, "calls me that. How much do you keep up with the court stuff?" I asked her. It suddenly dawned on me that I was considered a murder by a large part of the population. Arielle might freak out if she realized who I really was. But she shrugged.

"Not too much. We mostly live with humans, or at least we do when we aren't out in the middle of Alaska," she admitted sheepishly. But I was relieved; if she didn't know that much, I might have a chance at getting her to trust me. More, at least. Because she had followed me up to this room. Which, personally, I didn't think very highly of her for that. Because I sure as hell wouldn't have.

But then I thought about some and I realized, depending on the reason, I would have. But I was a kick ass guardian. This girl was just a Moroi. And while Moroi can be pretty badass when they want to be, they were the exception. Take Christian and his aunt, Tasha. They trained to use their magic offensively. It had been in secret, but it was awesome when they used it. Like when the Strigoi attack had happened at St. Vladimir. Christian and I had kicked many a Strigoi ass that day, because Christian had used his fire magic. But staring at the girl, she just looked so... frail.

"Who is this?" Abe asked courteously, referring to Arielle. I smiled.

"This, old man, is Arielle Dragomir," I said smugly.

Abe isn't one to be taken by surprise by anyone or anything. So let me just tell you, it was awesome when his eyes widened and his mouth fell open as he stared at Arielle.

"Dragomir?" my mother asked, also shocked. Wow, I felt good. I had just surprised two of the hardest people I knew. Score one for Rose. I nodded.

"Yes, Dragomir," Abe answered for me. And now he was inspecting Arielle. Now that the initial surprise was over, he was all business. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dragomir," Abe said, taking her hand and kissing it gallantly. I rolled my eyes, but then caught my mother's expression.

"What?" I asked, annoyed. She was staring at me with a weird look on her face. She sighed.

"Can you take the ring off? It is weird," she admitted. I smiled and nodded, and slipped the ring off without thinking.

Arielle gasped and stared at me.

"What the-" she trailed off. "How?" she finally gasped out. I forgot how weird it was for someone who hasn't dealt with spirit. But this was Lissa's sister...

"What did you specialize in?" I asked her. She blushed and looked at her feet, embarrassed.

"I haven't yet," she whispered. I nodded satisfactorily. She was a spirit user. Unless she suddenly decided to specialize, which could happen. But considering Lissa, I didn't see that happening.

"I'm Rose Hathaway, Princess Vasilisa Dragomir's best friend and guardian," I introduced myself. She nodded and looked at Abe and my mother. "This Abe Mazur, my father, and Guardian Janine Hathaway, my mother." She nodded to them and then turned back to me.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, not in a threatened way, just curious.

"Lissa, Vasilisa, needs a place on the council. But to do that, she needs a quorum. Which she didn't have. But I heard from..." I trailed off. Did I want to mention the letter? The answer was no. Half of the time I blocked it from my mind. Hell, most of the time I blocked it from my mind. It was weird.

"Well, I heard that she had a sibling out there, and we had to find you so that she can get her place. There are a lot of bad things going on at court right now," I finished. She nodded and looked around once more.

"Where is the princess?" she asked. I bit my lip to hide my smile. This was going better than I ever could have expected.

"_Lissa_," I said, emphasizing her name, "is currently on a plane to Alaska with a few other people to find you there. They were hoping that you hadn't already left. As soon as I go to sleep I will let them now," I said, more to myself then her. She looked curious, but remained silent. I was liking her more and more.

"Well, obviously they missed us. Will I get to meet her?" she asked. There was something in her that made me pause before answering. She seemed almost hopeful. Like she was finally figuring something out. Like she wanted to meet her. I nodded.

"Yes, you will most definitely get to meet her. Lissa is very excited," I told her sincerely. She smiled, and finally sat herself down on my bed.

"Well, then I guess I can hang out with you guys, right? And you can tell me more about the princess?" she asked me. I smiled and nodded. She was so sweet, so sincere. It reminded me a lot of Lissa.

"Lissa. Her name is Lissa, and she will be embarrassed if you call her anything else," I told her, sitting down next to her. "Ask away."

She looked at my cast and my face and spoke. "What happened to you?" she asked. Wow, way to go for the punch. Couldn't she have asked about Lissa? It would be really hard to explain this one. So I decided to talk about her, first.

"It is a really long story. First, you said you haven't specialized, right?" I asked. She nodded, blushing. "Well, I think I know why. Can you do anything, ummm, weird?" I asked her. She started to shake her head, stopped, and then nodded. "What?"

"Well, I can see auras," she said slowly. Just like Adrian. "And I can understand any language, like I have an internal translator. And I can project my spirit out of my body," she finished up, her voice so quiet I had to lean closer to hear her. Wait, did she just say she could leave her body? Shit, that's awesome. "And I have some, like, super compulsion," she added, almost like a lost thought. That was pretty typical of a spirit user. And I was convinced.

"Do you have a pretty high level in all of the elements, just not enough to specialize in anyone?" I asked as one last test. And after a moment, she nodded. I smiled.

"Well, fear no longer, because I am going to be, like, your fairy godmother and grant all your wishes. You are not a freak," I said. She just gave me a look. Well, it had been pretty cheesy, but I was helping her a lot. I was giving her a family, a place at court, understanding into her element.

"The reason you haven't specialized is because you actually have control over a special, rare element called spirit. Heard of it?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Well, just take it from me, you aren't a freak. When Lissa gets here, she will be able to explain it a lot better. She is a spirit user, too," I explained. Arielle nodded slowly, still taking everything in. Finally, she looked at me.

"Can she do that stuff, too?" she asked. I shook my head.

"It seems like every spirit user is different. Although, with practice, you can learn each others powers. For example, Lissa can heal. Adrian Ivashkov, who is also a spirit user, can dream walk. They have been working together to figure out spirit. Adrian has had a little success learning to heal, but Lissa hasn't with dream walking. Spirit is kind of... annoying like that. Part of the unknown," I explained to her. She nodded slowly.

"Healing? Dream walking? I'll be honest, I think the dream walking is cooler," she said, although it wasn't malicious.

"Her healing has brought me back to life," I said quietly. Her jade green eyes darted over my face, and a blush spread across her cheeks.

"Really? Like you actually died?" she asked, awe in her voice. I nodded.

"Yes. I am shadow kissed. I can feel Lissa's emotions, and I can slip into her head and see what she is saying and stuff," I told her. Her eyes widened.

"Wow," she whispered. I nodded. It was a wow. "What is that like?" she asked. I shrugged.

"It is good sometimes. Sometimes not so much. There have been times when I have been sucked into her head during things I don't want to see. But it makes it easier for me to guard her. Because I always know where she is. But there are side affects of spirit we both have to deal with. And being shadow kissed, I am closer to the land of the dead. I can see ghosts," I told her. She sat in silence, just listening. "Spirit can make things very difficult, but it can be good, too. Lissa always feels really happy when she uses spirit. But the side affects are really bad. But I think it would be better for Lissa and Adrian to explain."

"Adrian Ivashkov, you said? He's related to the queen, right?" she asked. Wow, she really is clueless. I nodded, not wanting to get into that messy situation.

"Lissa, Adrian, and Christian Ozera will all be joining us later," I told her. And then I laid back on the bed. "Do you want to ask questions now?" I asked. She nodded.

"What happened?" she asked again, gesturing towards me. I shook my head.

"Next question." She sighed and then yawned. She had been up all night, and for someone who lives with humans, she must be tired.

"Get some rest. We can do a question/answer session tomorrow," I said. She nodded and laid her head on the pillow, and within minutes, she was asleep. And following her lead, I fell asleep, too.

**Arielle is taking the whole thing a lot better than could ever be expected. Of course, she might still be in shock... who knows? :D Hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey! Seriously, I love you guys! Looking at the reviews makes me happy! Here is the next chapter; enjoy! Please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty Seven

I wasn't sleep for long before I felt a sharp spike of emotion run through me, jerking me awake and into Lissa's head. She was staring sadly at a two story white house with a wrap around porch, though why anyone would want to sit outside on a porch in Alaska was beyond me. It was just cold and white, wasn't it? Kind of like Antarctica. But I had been wrong about Russia; it had been beautiful, not an arctic wasteland.

The house was boarded up completely; windows, doors, everything with wood screwed in. And there was no sign of any habitation for weeks.

Dimitri came around the side of the house and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, princess, there hasn't been any one here for a while," he said. Lissa glanced down at the ground.

"All of this for nothing," she whispered. Inside she was heartbroken. She had wanted to do something right. To be able to come back to me with her sister in tow. But her sister was gone. And according to Victor, it would be near impossible to find her in California. Little did she know I had already stumbled across her. But she was disappointed. It would be another few months before they would return to Alaska. And in the mean time, Lissa was unable to be on the council. Unable to have a say in anything. Like at my trial.

Christian came up to her and hugged her tightly, his arms going around her shoulders. She just couldn't believe they were actually too late.

If Lissa hadn't woken me up with her emotions, I could have told Adrian that I had her sister. But, of course, timing had it that she had yanked me out too soon.

I pulled myself out, not needing to see any more. Because I knew one way I could make Lissa feel better. By letting them know that I had Arielle.

She was sleeping peacefully, the gentle in an out of her breathing lulling me back to sleep. And right before I fell asleep, I looked over at her. And it was like seeing Lissa from a few years ago, except with brunette hair.

I was with Dimitri, in the gym of the Academy. And we were fighting. But after only a few moments of struggle, I pinned him. And then we were kissing, and then... he disappeared. And the dream took on a reality that immediately alerted me to an Adrian dream. But I stayed lying in the gym.

Adrian walked in through the doors and I jumped up from the floor, rushing over to him and wrapping my arms around him. He stumbled backwards but caught himself. He wrapped his arms around me tightly. And when I finally stepped back from him, he had a quizzical grin on his face.

"What was that far?" he asked as I led him to the middle of the gym. I sat down and then pulled him down to sit next to me. I gave him a daring grin.

"Can't two friends hug each other now without questions?" I asked. He lifted an eyebrow, and for the first time in a few days I felt that familiar pang of envy. Now that I had found Lissa's sister, I was feeling a bit better.

"That was not just a friendly hug," Adrian countered. I shook my head.

"Oh yes it was," I said. And then my good news burst forth. "I found Lissa's sister! Her name is Arielle and she is a spirit user, too," I said.

He stared at me for so long I started counting the seconds. _One, two, three, four, five... _I got all the way to sixty four before Adrian spoke.

"You. Found. Her. Sister." I nodded. And then a smile split across his face. "Jesus, Rose, how did you do it?"

"It was an accident, really. We were staying at this hotel, and they were coddling me. I felt like we were going to slow, so I ran. And when I got to the front, she was working the valet counter of sorts. And after a few minutes, I just realized she was her. Lissa's sister. It was all accidental," I admitted. Adrian paused for a second, and then he burst out into loud laughter that echoed in the gym.

"Only you, Rose, only you," he gasped out between laughs. And I had to admit, it was pretty funny. They had gone to the far reaches of the country to search for the person I had found accidentally.

"Well, let Lissa know. I could feel her emotions earlier, and she was pretty upset. Now she doesn't have to be!" I said. Adrian nodded, still choking down laughter.

"Oh, little dhampir, you are always full of surprises. I will make sure to let Lissa know. What is she like?" he asked, his laughter dissolving and his face becoming serious. I just smiled.

"You'll have to wait and see! Now, go run along and tell Lissa like a good boy, and let me get back to sleep," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"You _are _asleep," he countered. I shrugged, and then Adrian hugged me again. I hugged him back briefly and then pushed him away.

"Go," I ordered. He nodded and grinned, and then the dream disappeared. Leaving me cold and alone in the middle of a cave. The cave where Dimitri had been taken.

It was dark and silent, absolutely nothing to go by. The only reason I knew I was actually in the cave was an creepy, dull light that was coming from somewhere off to my left. As I looked down that way, a blurred figure caught my attention, and then I felt a cold hand wrap around my throat from behind.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Rose Hathaway," an eerily familiar voice said. I tried to break their grasp and turn around, but the person was holding firm. But there was no need for my struggles; the person flipped me around so my back was against a wall and they were standing in front of me. And there was just enough light to make out his features.

I let out a gasp as I took in the familiar, well loved features of my Russian god. But this wasn't really him. Not that way I loved him, at least. This was Strigoi Dimitri, his brown eyes rimmed in red, his skin chalky white. Everything about him cold and menacing.

"No, no, no. I got rid of you. We saved the real Dimitri," I whispered in horror. The Strigoi smiled, revealing his fangs, a cold smile that made a shiver go down my spine. He leaned forward slightly so that his mouth was by my ear, and consequently, by my neck.

"I guess not here, cause here I am, blood whore," he whispered. And his mouth gently kissed my ear. He ran his mouth down so that he was right next to my neck. And I was starting to panic. "You will join me." I shook my head, frantically looking around for something to use against him. But for some odd reason, I had no weapon. And with the way Dimitri had his body pressed up against mine, his arms restraining me, and his mouth poised right next to my neck, there was no escape. He even had the toes of his feet overlapping mine so I couldn't kick out.

"Dimitri, listen to me. I can help you. I can save you! We can be together again," I pleaded. He shook his head, his lips brushing my skin.

"Yes, we will be together. But I am not joining you. You are joining me." And then his fangs plunged into my skin. And I screamed and tried to push Dimitri away.

I darted up, my body poring with sweat. Arielle was sitting upright next to me, one hand on my left arm, a concerned expression on her face.

"Rose, are you okay?" she asked, concerned. I started to nod, but halfway through I found I just couldn't.

"I will be," I muttered, jumping off of the bed and going towards the bathroom. After a few moments of splashing cool water on my face, I felt better. I turned back around, and as I looked through the room, I realized it was only myself and Arielle. Where the hell were Abe and Janine?

"Where are they?" I asked. For a moment she looked puzzled, and then her expression cleared.

"Abe went to feed and Janine went to go get some more food," she explained. I nodded slowly and then went to sit back on the bed.

"What happened?" she asked gently. I shook my head.

"Just a bad dream... which reminds me," and without warning her, I slipped into Lissa's head.

Adrian had already relayed the information, and Lissa was again sitting on an airplane. She was in complete shock, yet part of her felt proud. Of course I had been able to find her. In her opinion, if anyone would be able to, it was me. Never mind the fact it had been a complete accident and I had almost left without realizing it. To Lissa, I was the smartest, bravest, best person she knew.

Christian was, of course, sitting next to her, holding her hand. He had a slightly amused grin on his face that piqued Lissa's interest. And, to be honest, my own.

"What?" she finally asked. Christian turned to her and his smile widened.

"Just the idea that we go through all the trouble of flying to Alaska to get there on time, even leaving Rose behind, and as she travels to find us she accidentally runs into her. It is just so ironic. Thank God we left her behind," he said. Lissa smiled. He was right, of course. It was kind of funny. And ironic.

At just that moment, Adrian came over and sat down. After a moment, he spoke.

"Hey, Rose!" Adrian said, waving his hand at Lissa. We were both confused; her wondering what he had been smoking, me wondering how he knew I was there. At the sound of my name and hey in the same sentence, Dimitri walked over and sat down next to Adrian. They were both slightly tense; I could just imagine how their relationship must be.

"Rose is watching right now, aren't you, Rose?" Adrian asked. I wished I could send him a sign. Something.

"Lissa, you have a phone, right?" he asked. She nodded slowly, not seeing where this was going. But I completely understood and was about ready to kiss Adrian. If I wasn't actually watching through Lissa, that is. "Tell Rose your phone number so she can call," he instructed.

It was like a light going on in her head. She felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before; honestly, I felt the same way. Of course she had a cell phone. So did Dimitri. Hell, I had used Lissa's phone to call Dimitri's. I felt like a complete idiot, too. Christian and Dimitri looked like they felt the same way; they had expressions on their faces that were so hilarious I wished I had a camera. And a body I could use. Lissa quickly gave me her cell phone number.

I slipped out of Lissa's mind to go to the phone, and found Arielle waving her hands frantically in front of me.

"What are you doing?" I snapped. She sighed in relief.

"You went unresponsive!" she explained. It was my turn to sight this time. Oops. I probably should have explained a little more.

"I was just visiting Lissa, which I am about to do again. So please, just chill. I am absolutely fine," I told her. And then I picked up the phone and dialed the number I had seen on Lissa's phone, the one I had called only a few days before. And as I held the phone to my head, I slipped back into Lissa's.

It took a few moments, but finally Lissa's phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and immediately picked it up.

"Rose?" she asked, excitement running through her.

"The one and only. How are you doing, Liss?" I asked. I could just imagine how it must be for Arielle, sitting there watching me talk on the phone. Poor girl.

"Oh my God, Rose, this is so cool! I can't believe we didn't think of this before. I am doing okay, which you already know. How are you?" she asked. I sighed. How was I doing?

"Better since I found Arielle. I'm pissed at my parents, though, cause they keep trying to baby me. Funny, they weren't there all those years and now I get a little hurt and-" I was cut off by Lissa laughing. _A little? _

"Okay, maybe not a little. But still. It is so not wheelchair worthy. I mean, I took out two of Abe's guards like this!" I said. She sat silent, waiting for me to explain. Finally, she spoke out loud.

"Two of his guards? And why did you take out two of his guards? And shouldn't you be, like, relaxing?" she asked. I saw Adrian stifle a laugh, while Dimitri's mouth quirked up into a half smile. Christian didn't bother trying to contain it.

"Lissa, can you do me a favor and give everyone of the guys around you a good kick for me?" I asked. She smiled and looked at them.

"Umm, I'll be honest, Rose, the only one I could possibly kick and get away with it would be Adrian. Christian could incinerate me and Dimitri... do I even half to go on?" she asked. I shook my head, smiling.

"No, you don't."

"You wanted her to kick us? Jeez, Rose, not even with us in body and you're still stirring up trouble," Christian teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Tell your boyfriend to shut his mouth," I told her.

"Christian, Rose says to shut your mouth," she informed him. Christian smirked.

"Oh ya? And what is she going to do about? She is crippled," he mocked.

"You tell him that I still was able to take out two of Abe's minions at the same time, even with being, as he called it, crippled." Lissa laughed.

"She says she was still able to take out two of Abe's minions at the same time even being crippled," she told Christian, who I swear actually paled. But he pretended to not care.

"Fine. If he wants to be that way, tell him we can have a fight when we all meet up again," I said. She relayed my message, and Christian's eyes widened, while this time both Adrian and Dimitri chuckled openly.

"I would pay to see that," Adrian murmured. Lissa giggled and then kissed her boyfriend. I groaned.

"Liss, I am still in here!" I reminded her. She pulled back instantly and blushed.

"Right. Sorry, Rose," she mumbled. Adrian and Dimitri, I swear, exchanged a look at that one. And then something struck me.

"Hey, aren't you guys flying?" I asked.

"Yes, we are flying. But this is a private jet. We can talk on our cell phones, for some reason," Lissa said. I nodded.

"All right, cool. I am such an idiot. If I had just remembered that you had a phone, I could have told you guys everything a ton sooner," I berated myself. She sighed.

"None of us thought of it," she reminded me. I shook my head.

"Adrian did," I told her. She glanced at Adrian and nodded. Yes, he had thought of it. Which, considering he drinks and smokes as much as he does, is amazing. And makes everyone else look really stupid.

"Well, at least we know it now. So what is my sister like?" she asked. I smiled.

"You will find out soon enough. I don't want to say anything and ruin the surprise," I teased. She was disappointed, but she partially understood. And she didn't pester me about it any more, although there was a fire burning in her labeled curiosity. "Can I talk to Adrian?" I asked. She was surprised; always surprised by me.

"You would think you would be used to me doing weird things by now. Yet, I always seem to catch you by surprise," I teased. She shrugged, but it was true. She shouldn't be surprised any more.

"Love you, Rose. See you soon!" she said. And then she held the phone out to Adrian. I had planned on pulling out of her head at this point, but she had every intention of staying right there and listening, so I stayed.

Dimitri was surprised, to say the least. Especially considering I had just been talking to him in my dream. But he stayed silent, once again showing his patience and self control, both of which I had very little of.

"Adrian, how did you know I was in there?" I asked him curiously.

"Her aura changed slightly, a little bit darker than usual, but it was more of a faint imprint. Like a shadow. So I guessed. And thank God I was right," he joked. Dimitri's expression immediately cleared.

"Wow. Who knew? Well, we just talked earlier, so..." I didn't want to out and out ask to speak to Dimitri, especially not to Adrian. But he picked up on the unspoken question and sighed.

"Here's Belikov," he said, handing the phone to Dimitri. He immediately took the phone and stood up, walking away. So I left Lissa's head and was back to staring at the hotel room. Arielle was sitting quietly in front of me, her legs crossed, her eyes watching me.

"Hi, Dimitri," I said quietly.

**So this chapter is a bit longer than usual. Around three thousand words, to be precise. Which is why I cut it off before they spoke. Which, poor Arielle, freaking out when Rose went into Lissa's head. And, seriously, why didn't Rose think of it before? She is usually so good with these things. Secretly, I think she wanted Adrian to have to visit her. ;D LOL, just kidding. I just thought of it. I was skimming through the books and thinking how she was able to do other things while in Lissa's head, like running, which takes a lot more skill than holding a phone to the side of your head. I find it really interesting, though, how the chapters change as I write them. I have a pretty good idea how it is going to go when I start, and then as I write... it changes. Sometimes completely, like the chapter Rose met Lissa's sister. And, just wanting to point this out, Victor was right. He had said Lissa had a sister who lived in Alaska part of the year and California the other half. Hmm... How did he get his information? LOL, sorry, typing as I think. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Seriously, I am so sorry you guys! I left it hanging, and now it is Wednesday and I still haven't updated. How awful am I? I am so super sorry. :( I am visiting some of my cousins and we had the flight yesterday, packing the day before, and Toy Story 3 and family time the day before that. *****spoiler alert for Toy Story 3*****Anyone else kind of hate Andy for giving them up? ****you can look again :D****And it was just too sad... I know I cried, and so did my mom and sister. But anyway... again, sorry! I promise to do my best to update more. I have my laptop and internet access, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Anyway, enjoy and please review! Which, I want to say a special thank you to Ariana122! Seriously, your reviews have been the best! So thank you! And with that, enjoy!**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty Eight

Arielle's eyebrows rose slightly. Maybe it was the way I had said his name. Or maybe it was the way my hand gripped the phone slightly tighter as I waited for him to speak. Whatever it was, she gave me a look. I ignored her and stared fixedly at the wall across from me.

"Roza, how are you?" he asked, his voice nearly sending shivers all over me. As it was I smiled, making the smirk on Arielle's face extend farther. And her eyebrows? One dropped, leaving only one perfectly arched eyebrow in place. Making me extremely jealous. Not that I would ever admit that.

"I'm fine. How is everything there?" I asked. He chuckled.

"Everything is perfectly fine. Victor and Robert are staying in the front of the airplane," he explained. I nodded; I had kind of expected as much. "It was interesting, having you talking in the phone with Lissa and being in her head at the same time." My own smile widened.

"You called her Lissa," I gushed, acting just like any girl and going all mushy. Or I was pretending to. Sort of.

"Yes, I called her Lissa. Everyone keeps glaring at me or cutting across me whenever I called her anything else. So the best thing for me to do if I ever want to get heard is just call her Lissa," he said. I could practically see the small smile on his face, bond or not. I just knew him that well.

There was a moment of comfortable silence before he spoke again.

"Should I even bother to reprimand you about trying to run away from your parents?" he asked. I shook my head and grinned.

"Nope," I answered, popping the p. I heard him sigh, and then there was silence. "Dimitri?" I asked.

"Yes, Roza?" I could hear the weariness in his tone.

"You're mad." I said it as a fact, not a question. He sighed again.

"No, I'm not mad. I just think that you were being irresponsible," he said. I rolled my eyes. What was new there?

"I was doing what I thought was needed. And besides, I miss you all," I said. I didn't want Dimitri upset with me or thinking I was being irresponsible, but I also wasn't backing down.

"All of us?" he asked. He kept his tone carefully normal, but if there was anyone who could see through him, it was definitely me. He probably knew that, so he covered up his tracks. "I mean, I really didn't think that you would miss Christian like Adrian said you would," he joked. Dimitri, joking? What is the world coming to?

"Ummm, that was a really failed attempt at a joke," I admitted teasingly. He sighed. I could practically see him rolling his eyes with the slightest smile on his lips.

"Rose, of all things to harp about..." he said. I shrugged.

"Well, it is your own fault for trying to joke in the first place," I said. "And, just for your information, I do miss Adrian. Because, like it or not, he is a part of my life, and he means something to me. Which reminds me. We have some serious talking to do when we see each other again," I said, instantly going from joking and light to unhappy and seething. Wow, I should really get those mood swings looked at.

"Roza..." It sounded like he was going to argue back, but then he sighed. "We'll talk." I nodded.

"Good." Arielle was giving me a weird look, as if she was trying to figure out what was going on. And then, suddenly, her body went limp and she fell over on the bed.

"Oh shit! God, I've gotta go. Bye!" I said. And not waiting for a response from Dimitri, I hung up.

I didn't know what to do. I rolled her over so she wasn't face first in the bed, and started shaking her shoulders, checking her pulse. Thank God, she was still breathing. But I had no idea what the fuck was going on.

"Shit, shit, shit! Where are they?" I asked. I looked towards the door, as if miraculous Abe and my mother would show up at the door. But no such luck; the door stayed firmly closed.

And then, as if it wasn't bad enough, I was pulled into Lissa's head. Worry was coursing through her, the same worry that had pulled me into her head. She was staring at the back of the airplane where Dimitri was sitting silently, alone, worry on his face. After a moment, she turned back around to face Adrian and Christian. And I nearly screamed.

Sitting next to Adrian was Arielle, watching them all with interest. I didn't know how she had gotten there, or even really what was going on, but... Then it clicked. She had said earlier that she could... project her spirit out of her body, right? That must be what she was doing now. Was this some way to pay me back for not warning her when I slipped into Lissa's head? At least I knew what was going on, thanks to Lissa.

Arielle was still just sitting there, inspecting each person.

I slipped out of Lissa's head. I knew she was worried, but with these circumstances, it was pretty natural. And I had seen she was sitting there, perfectly fine with Adrian and Christian. So I didn't feel too guilty not inspecting things.

I picked up the phone and dialed Lissa's number again. After only one ring, it was answered.

"Belikov," Dimitri said.

"Dimitri, I need you to do me a favor. Take Lissa's phone back to Lissa, and put it on speaker phone," I said. I bet he was confused.

"All right. Can I ask why?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, but it will make sense in just a second. Sort of. Do you see anyone else with Lissa, Christian, and Adrian?" I asked him.

"No. Why, should I?" he asked, confusion coloring his voice. But I had expected that answer. Of course they wouldn't be able to. I was even a little confused why I could; I guessed it had to do something with being shadow kissed, but I wasn't completely sure.

I slipped back into Lissa's head and examined Arielle. She was still looking around, but instead of focusing on what she was doing, I focused on her. She was slightly transparent; I could see the chair behind her. And she was colorless, just a shadow of herself. And, of course, everyone was completely oblivious.

Dimitri walked up at that moment, holding the phone out in front of him with his guardian mask on. He held the phone slightly closer to his mouth.

"Rose, I'm here," he said. He made a move to sit down...

"No! Don't sit down." Everyone was looking at the phone now. Dimitri's guardian mask stayed in place, but there was a look in his eyes. A look that wondered what crazy thing I was doing now.

"Arielle, get the fuck out of there and back into your body. Do you even know how scared I was?" I yelled. It was weird hearing it come out of the phone a split second later, a slight echo to my actual voice.

Arielle whirled around to look at the phone, a bewildered expression on her face. She glanced at everyone else and then back to the phone. But she was still there.

"Seriously, not cool! You couldn't have warned me? Was this, like, payback for slipping into Lissa's head without telling you?" I asked her. She smiled slightly and then shook her head.

"Rose? What drug are you taking?" Christian asked with a smirk.

"Someone please hit him," I requested. Adrian leaned forward as if he would, but to my surprise Lissa got there first and smacked him on the arm. He rubbed it ruefully, not actually hurt but putting on a show for Lissa.

"Seriously? Was that necessary?" he asked. Adrian shrugged.

"Rose told someone to hit you. And be grateful. I was going to hit harder," he commented with a grin. Christian scowled and turned back to the phone.

"Okay, well, sorry, Rose, for thinking you were taking drugs. Although why you would be talking to Lissa's sister through the phone when she is there with you is beyond me," he said.

"She is a spirit user, guys. Meaning she has certain powers..." I said. They were still confused.

"Meaning?" Christian asked impatiently.

"Meaning she can project her spirit from her body to different places," I finished. Arielle scowled.

"Thanks, Rose," she said. There was a general gasp as her voice suddenly floated in from the seat next to Adrian.

"Just get back here and we can argue later," I told her. She shrugged and then sighed.

"Fine. But first everyone needs to introduce themselves," she said. Dimitri recovered first. Not that he had ever shown any actual surprise.

"My name is Dimitri Belikov," he said. Arielle's eyes stayed on him longer than I would have liked. But then again, any amount of time is just too much.

"I'm Christian Ozera," fire boy muttered, clearly not happy talking to a spirit.

"Hi, I'm Lissa." And in her words she instilled all the warmth and kindness she could. Because, even though she couldn't see her, she was meeting her sister for the first time.

"And I'm Adrian Ivashkov," Adrian finished off the round of introductions.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Arielle," she said. There were gasps, and then she disappeared with a wave. Hopefully back into her body.

"Thanks, Dimitri. I'll talk to you all later, okay?" I asked. There was a round of nods and then I hung up. I slipped quickly out of Lissa's head. Although I really wanted to hear what they were saying. But talking to Arielle was more important.

Sitting cross legged on the bed next to me was Arielle herself, no longer transparent and washed out. She smiled.

"Seriously? You just had to do that, didn't you," I said, glaring at her. She nodded.

"And I let them see me at the end, just in case you're wondering," she told me. My eyes widened. Let them see her?

"You have a lot of talking you need to do," I told her.

**Tada! Chapter twenty eight! Hope you enjoyed, and please review! It was fun to write... Poor Rose, with Arielle collapsing on her. What did you think? Review please!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey! Sorry it took so long to update... I was in the city over the weekend and I didn't have access to a computer. But I had a blast; we went to go see _Mamma Mia!_ and _The Sorcerer's Apprentice _as well as hanging out at Dave and Busters and walking all over the place! :D In any case, enjoy and review! I love hearing your feedback, and some of the reviewers are just so awesome. So thank you! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Twenty Nine

Arielle was still just smiling at me. As if she hadn't just freaked me out by dropping her soul out of her body and showing up on the plane. I was sitting across from her with my arms crossed, waiting for her to explain. Finally, after a moment, she sighed, still smiling.

"I just wanted to see her," she explained quickly. For a moment I felt a thrill of pity, but I shook it off. She could have waited. Or she could have told me what she was doing first. Either way, I could have avoided a few moments of panic.

"And you couldn't have, oh, I don't know, told me that? Told me you were going to drop out of your body and go visit her?" I asked, my limited self control running thin. She rolled her eyes.

"You mean like you told me when you visited Lissa?" she asked. Which is what I had figured. Revenge. I sighed.

"Look, I already apologized about that," I said. She shrugged.

"I'm sorry. There, now I have apologized too," she said. Oh, she just thought she was so good.

"Well, next time, let me know. And what was all that about you "letting" them see you?" I asked her. And this time it was more out of curiosity than any thing else.

"I told you, I can project my soul out of my body. And when I do so, I have the ability to remain invisible, or to make my spiritual self visible. In the beginning I remained visible and people started freaking out. So I learned to disappear," she explained with a slight shrug. As if it was no big deal. "Now what I really want to know is how you were able to see me when I was invisible," she said, leaning forward and placing her elbows on her knees with her face in her hands.

If I was honest, I wasn't really sure. So I gave her the best answer I could while not lying.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I have a feeling it has to do with being shadow kissed. You know how I explained to you earlier how I had died and Lissa brought me back?" I asked her. She nodded. "Well, because of that, I am closer to the land of the dead, as I told you. I can see ghosts. I can also sense when Strigoi are near; I get nauseous. My guess, and this is just a guess because all of this spirit stuff is really sketchy, but I think that is why I could see you. Because it was just your spirit, which is basically what a ghost is," I said, thinking out loud. She was listening intently. And then I realized something.

"Why are you so trusting now? I mean, when I first brought you up here..." Well, she hadn't been as trusting. But it had still been there. But in any case, after I told her, she had been so... calm about everything. It was like she had just accepted everything. "You are just so... calm about everything," I finished.

"I was freaked out a little before, but I have kind of gotten over it. It is obvious you care for the people on that plane, and you care a ton for Lissa. And because you care about her, you care about me. And I know you won't hurt me. So, since I am here and I want to help my sister, I am trying to enjoy it some, I guess," she answered.

I had to admire her for that. I would be kicking and screaming and... well maybe not kicking or screaming. But I definitely would be getting as much information as possible. And I wouldn't be as chilled out.

"So that was Dimitri," she said after a moment. "He was pretty hot," she admitted. I nodded.

"Yes, he is," I agreed. But I didn't like the look on her face.

"Don't even think about it. He is so off limits," I said, my eyes narrowed at her. She giggled.

"Too bad. I would have liked to have gotten to know him," she said with a smile. Her eyes met mine.

"What about Adrian? He's pretty hot too. And at least he is a Moroi... and royal too," she said. But I really didn't like that either. I scowled.

"Paws off him too. And Christian for that matter," I said. One eyebrow rose elegantly up.

"Is he yours, too?" she asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"No, he isn't. He's Lissa's," I told her. That silly grin fell off of her face and she nodded.

"Got it. Christian is a no no. Now tell me what is going on with the other two guys," she said, leaning forward once more to hear what I was saying. I looked down at my hands. Did I really want to explain?

"It's complicated. Dimitri was my mentor," I started. Guess I did. Her eyes widened. "I know, I know. Bad. But he is just so..."

"Amazingly good looking?" she filled in. I smiled but shook my head.

"It is beyond even that. Dimitri... he was so... amazing. The first thing I heard about him was he was a god. And it was true. He was controlled, skilled... In my eyes, invincible. And he had this whole other side. This cowboy, old west novel loving side. This side that was so rarely shown. And when he would smile... it was amazing. Like the whole world was good. And he was just so good. He had these morals that... I don't know. It's hard to explain. But I fell for him. And he fell for me, though I can only imagine why," I paused, smiling wistfully. Because what happened next... "Dimitri was always putting me off. Telling me it couldn't work out. I was his student. And we were both going to be guarding Lissa. We couldn't let our feelings out, because then when we were guarding... we would try to protect each other before her. And we couldn't do that." I paused again, trying to gather my quickly unraveling thoughts. Arielle was watching me like someone would watch a soap opera. With avid, almost horrifying interest. Because she could just tell this wasn't going to end well. Or maybe she couldn't. But her eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared at me, and she was tilted forward, on the edge of her seat.

"What happened next?" she breathed. I glanced up at her and then back to my hands with a slightly satisfied smile on my face.

"We finally couldn't hold it in any longer," I answered simply. A smile was creeping onto her face, but it was anxious.

"And?" she finally prompted. "Did you guys, you know... Do it?" she asked. I bit my lip and nodded. I wasn't one to be shy or self conscious, but something about the way she was looking at me, the interest in her eyes was making me... I don't know. She giggled and lightly slapped my knee. "What was it like?" she asked. I smiled.

"Unbelievable. But I didn't even talk about it with Lissa, so there is no way I am describing sex with Dimitri to you," I said. But I made sure to make it as light as possible so she wouldn't feel rebuffed. She nodded.

"Understandable. So what happened next?" she asked. My smile dropped off.

"There was a Strigoi attack on the Academy. We both went off to fight; him with the guardians and me with Christian," I nearly whispered. Her eyes widened even more.

"Christian? Like Christian Ozera? Lissa's boyfriend?" she asked. I nodded and grinned.

"Yes. Fire boy and I went and killed Strigoi; he would put them on fire and I would stake them. It was pretty awesome," I admitted. She nodded silently with her mouth open slightly.

"Wow. Go on," she ordered. I nodded and my grin fell away.

"Some of people were... taken. And we went after them." I stopped. My nose was starting to clog up and my eyes felt prickly. I willed myself not to cry. It was stupid. I knew how it ended. But even the memory was horrible. Arielle was sitting, barely breathing. "When we went, we got most everyone out. But with the escape... Dimitri was taken. And he was turned," I whispered.

She gasped, making everything more horrible then it was. I felt a single tear slip down my face, which I quickly brushed away.

"He was turned? But I saw him just now... He was a dhampir," she argued. I nodded.

"Yes. He is a dhampir. But he was a strigoi," I said.

"How?"

"I told you about spirit, about the different things you can do with it. Well, we found out through... Well, I can tell you. Through Victor's brother, that you can charm a silver stake with spirit.."

"And bring a strigoi back to their original form," she finished at a whisper. I nodded.

"Yes. But the problem was, only a spirit user could stake the strigoi with the special charmed stake for them to go back. So I said no. Because I wanted Dimitri back more than anything, but not at the cost of my best friend's life," I explained. She looked horrified and her pity for me was showing clearly. But I waved it away.

"Don't feel bad for me. Part of it was through my own, foolish mistakes. I had gone after Dimitri in Russia, to kill him. We had, for all intents and purposes, made a promise to each other. We said we would both rather be dead than be a strigoi. So I went to go fulfill my end," I told her softly.

"But you couldn't do it," she finished. I nodded.

"I wasn't able to do it. And then, when I finally thought I had... the stake hadn't gone in far enough. And I started getting notes from him. He had wanted to change me, to make me like him, to awaken me as he put it while I was with him." I noted the expression on her face and smiled grimly. "Oh, yes, I was with him when he was a strigoi. Craving the endorphins every bite of his would bring. He was feeding from me." I saw her cringe. I didn't know why I was telling her this. Before, when talking about sex with him, I had brushed it off. But this, something more personal and degrading than anything else, this period of time that I had not told to my best friend... I was spilling my guts. And I couldn't explain why. But I knew that I couldn't stop. The words were rolling off of my tongue too fast for me to pause. "He took Lissa and Christian. He bated me with them. And I went after him. I was prepared to kill him, but Lissa had done it. She had staked the charm. And when I went for the kill, she pushed me aside." That grim smile reappeared. My best friend, pushing her guardian aside to stake a Strigoi. The idea was almost funny, but not quite. Arielle looked like she was in shock.

"She staked him. She returned him to his previous self," I finished simply. Arielle's mouth was open and her eyes were wide.

"Wow. And you guys got back together as soon as possible, right?" Arielle asked with a smile. But when I didn't return it, she frowned. "What?"

"There was a lot of problems getting people to... accept that he was no longer a strigoi. And Dimitri, not wanting to relive the horrors of his time, not wanting to remember what he had done to me, had shut me out. He would not see me. He would not talk to me. Every conversation, every meeting was forced on my side. And finally, after one horrible chat in the church, I broke down. I hid in my room. But Adrian came. And we..." I couldn't get the words out. Maybe later, when I was explaining about Adrian, whose story certainly wouldn't be as long. Maybe later, when I wasn't as worked up about Dimitri. "Well, any way, the next day we talked at the cafe. And it was almost like old times. Until I was arrested for murdering the queen. And Dimitri... he fought for me. He was willing to take down the queen's personal guardians, the best of the best, to protect me. But he had been working so hard to gain everyone's trust. So I turned myself in," I finished simply.

"Did you?" she asked after a moment. I stared at her for a moment, confused.

"Did I what?" I asked after I realized she wasn't going to elaborate.

"Did you kill the queen?" she asked calmly. I shook my head. And I was too worked up to care that she wondered if I was guilty.

"No, I didn't. But the court and counsel and everyone else sure wants to think so. Because the queen and I... we didn't have the best relationship," I said. She looked like she would have liked to hear more, but I shook my head.

"So what happened with Dimitri?" she asked.

"Well, I escaped with the help of Victor and Robert. And Dimitri and Lissa extracted the information from Adrian, whom I had told when he visited my dream. And they followed me. And when they found me, we talked. And he explained. And I got mad, yes, but I love him. And he loves me. And relationships are hard, but... sometimes you can make it work, even in the worst conditions," I finished.

"Your life is like a really drama filled soap opera," Arielle commented. I rolled my eyes.

"You don't even know the half of it," I joked.

"Okay, so there is the whole long history about Dimitri. What happened with Adrian?" she asked. I sighed.

"Adrian and I met while our school was at a ski resort for Christmas break. For safety reasons. He had a reputation for being a ladies man, and he was flirting with me. I brushed it off; I was in love with Dimitri. And I didn't really think he was serious. Later, though, when I went on my trip to kill Dimitri, I went to him for money. And he gave it to me with one condition: that when I got back I would give him a chance. Apparently he was serious. And when I got back, after a bit of time, I tried to honor my promise. It wasn't like it was with Dimitri, but... I do love him. Just not enough. Adrian has been so good to me, helping me through. He even wrote up a proposition of why I should date him, which I will show you some time because it is really funny and cute. And he is a good guy, despite the drinking and smoking and everything. I love him. But..." I trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"With Dimitri in the picture, he has no chance," Arielle finished sympathetically. I nodded.

"I want to give him a chance at least, but..." I trailed off again and sighed.

"So Adrian is off limits because?" she asked. I glared.

"Okay, got it. Rose isn't very good with sharing. What are you going to do when Lissa and I bond?" she asked.

That brought me up short. I hadn't really thought about it that way. But it was true; Lissa would be gaining a sister. A real, true, blood related sister. Someone who was going to help her in ways I couldn't. But I brushed it off. Lissa and I were bonded. We had shared things and would share things that Arielle couldn't even comprehend. And it was good for Lissa to have another person she could count on in her life. And while I hated the idea of losing any part of Lissa, I just wanted her to be happy. And I had to believe that no matter what, we would always be best friends and sisters. So, after a moment, I shrugged.

"You guys will bond. It'll be good for both of you. And all three of you can work on spirit together, which will be nice," I said. She looked skeptical but dropped it. And then there was a knock on the door.

**So there. Chapter twenty nine! OMG, I can't believe I have written that much. Anyway... hope you enjoyed their talk. I know that some of you want some Dimitri/Rose scenes, and trust me, those are coming up, but it's kind of hard with them being in two different places. I wanted Rose and Arielle to bond a bit. Of course, Rose ended up spilling a lot more than she intended... Oops! ;D Well, it was bound to happen, in my opinion. It was good for her to talk to someone. Of course, it would have been nice if she shared more of what happened with Lissa, but... oh well. Again, hope you enjoyed! And please review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey hey! I'm trying to get better about updating... so here is the next chapter! Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty

I looked at Arielle, who seemed puzzled. Why would my mother or Abe knock? So, I slipped immediately into guardian mode, looking around for anything I could use to hit someone with. Finally, I just settled with my fists. You know, the old standby.

"Maybe you should check the door before you get ready to kill people," Arielle suggested dryly. I glanced over to her. The confusion was gone, and in its place was a calm that reached out and almost calmed me to. So I nodded. I left my hands balled into fists, though, just in case.

There was another knock, and I went to the door and peaked through the hole. And screamed.

I threw the door open and wrapped my left arm around Lissa, who was standing there with a smile on her face.

"How?" I asked her. Her smile widened.

"Well, I called your parents since I wasn't quite sure if the number you called from would connect straight to your room or just to the hotel. Which, they should be arriving soon with the bags and stuff," she said, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting to see everyone coming down the hallway right then. But after a second she turned back to me with a smile and glanced over at me. The smile dropped from her face as she took in the casts and the bruises.

"Oh, Rose, only you," she said, walking past me into the room and stopping when she caught sight of Arielle. We had both momentarily forgotten about her, sitting cross legged on the bed with her jade green eyes wide.

I recovered first. I stood between them and gestured to Lissa.

"Arielle, this is Lissa. Lissa, this is your half sister, Arielle," I introduced them. Lissa smiled.

"It is so nice to meet you, Arielle. I'm sorry that things had to work this way, although I'm sure Rose explained plenty," Lissa said, reaching over and wrapping her arms around Arielle, who hugged her back.

After a moment they both let go, and Lissa sat down on the bed. I joined them hesitantly. I didn't want to interrupt their moment. But Lissa turned back to me.

"Come here. Let's get you fixed," she said, staring at my right arm. I shook my head.

"I don't think thats a good idea. You should save your energy," I said. But Lissa shook her head firmly.

"Healing you won't send either of us into a spirit induced craze, all right? Now don't argue with me," she said, narrowing her eyes in what I supposed she meant to be threatening. But I gave in.

"All right. But if it starts to feel weird, or if I tell you to stop, you do, understand?" I asked. She nodded, but it was absent mindedly, not really an agreement. She was all ready focusing her energy on spirit. She placed her hands on me and closed her eyes. And after a moment I felt the joy it brought, the magic being used.

Arielle was watching with interest, her eyes trained on me. And as the bruises faded away her eyes widened. Of course she couldn't see the internal healing; the ribs, the arm, the collar bone. But after a few minutes Lissa sighed and smiled.

"Done," she murmured satisfactorily. All the pain had gone away, and I felt normal. I pulled the casts off and inspected my arm first, twisting it this way and that.

"Thanks, Liss. Much better," I said.

"So, you're all healed? Like, all of your bones and everything?" Arielle asked suddenly. Lissa nodded.

"Yes. Everything is fixed. We can work on it some when-" There was another knock on the door, cutting Lissa off.

I went on alert again, darting up and going to the door. But when I looked through, all I saw were four men and one women. I turned to Lissa.

"Where are Victor and Robert and there people?" I asked. She frowned.

"He got a room right next to yours. Of course, all of the girls are staying in this room, the guys are staying next door. And then Victor and Robert," Lissa explained. I nodded and then went back to the bed.

"Lissa, can you get the door? For now, let's just let everyone believe you didn't heal me, all right?" I asked. Lissa nodded, and while I pulled the casts back on and everything, she got up to go to the door. And then I realized something.

"The bruises. No matter what, they are going to notice the bruises are gone." Well, there went that plan. So I pulled the wrappings off again. And finally Lissa answered the door.

Adrian was the first one in, with a blazing smile on his face as he set down his one bag. He immediately came over and hugged me tightly, nearly lifting me off the ground. Finally, after a bit too long, he let me go and turned to Arielle.

"Nice to meet you," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. She giggled and I glared at him. But the moment passed as Abe and Christian walked in, followed by my mother and finally Dimitri. Arielle and Lissa both glanced at me and I looked down at my feet, avoiding their gaze. Wow, they really were sisters.

But the attention wasn't on me. I had to introduce Arielle to everyone, or at least officially. Because technically they had already met on the plane.

"Guys, this is Arielle, Lissa's sister. Arielle, this is Christian, Adrian, and Dimitri. Of course, you guys already met, but..." I trailed off as they all looked at each other.

"So another spirit user, huh? Wow, the Dragomirs really knew how to produce kids with spirit," Adrian joked. We all just kind of stared at him, waiting for the punch line. Finally he sighed. "Never mind. It'll be nice for us to work with someone new. And that astral projecting? That's awesome," he said. Of course, I was kind of confused. Astral projecting? He must have noticed the expression on my face. Or maybe it was my aura. But he smirked slightly and explained.

"Astral projecting is the, shall we say, scientific term for what Arielle did with projecting her spirit out of her body," he said. And this time we were all staring because he had actually said something smart.

"Well, before any of you do anything, Rose, why aren't you wearing the casts?" Abe asked smoothly, a slight edge to his voice. I glanced at Lissa just at the moment she glanced at me. Abe sighed theatrically.

"Do you girls ever listen to anyone?" he asked us. We looked at each other, and after a moment, shook our heads in sync.

"Not really," Lissa offered.

"Ummm, no," I said. And then we busted out laughing, while everyone else stared. There seemed to be a lot of that going on. And then Arielle cracked a smile. Adrian chuckled. Abe smiled indulgently. Christian rolled his eyes. And Dimitri stood there with his guardian mask on, the only sign he was amused being the slight uplifting of the right side of his mouth.

"Wow, I think they have finally gone over the deep end," Christian commented. But he wasn't being serious, and there was an adoring look on his face as he stared at Lissa that negated any harsh words. And finally, after a few more minutes, we calmed down and collapsed onto the bed. But Abe was not to be distracted. He fixed Lissa and I with a piercing glare that almost made me want to shrink back into the pillows and sheets and just disappear. I could only imagine what that look did to lesser people. But I was, after all, his daughter, no matter how much I didn't act that way.

"So Vasilisa used spirit to fix you," Abe said. I smirked.

"No. I just suddenly felt better and, like magic, my wounds were gone," I said, keeping a serious expression on my face. Abe just glared at me. Adrian started laughing but shut up the minute that glare turned to him.

"Sorry, Mr. Mazur," he apologized softly, which earned him a swift elbow in the side from Christian, who then received Abe's glare. Christian stopped moving, his eyes traveling down to his feet. Which caused Lissa to snort. And then Abe and Christian were both glaring at her. But she stared right back.

"I helped my best friend when she was hurt. I don't see a problem with that," she said calmly. I admired her; she was so calm and fierce. I had to think I was rubbing off on her; staking Strigoi, learning to punch, and standing up to my mobster dad. Pretty awesome. And after a moment, Abe sighed.

"We are trying to protect you and Rose from the affects of spirit," Abe said. Lissa nodded.

"We know. But Lissa can't just stop using spirit. It is a part of her," I argued. Abe sighed again.

"Fine. Just be careful," he said before heading out the door, presumably to the room next door. As he left, I watched him. He was looking a little too pale, and suddenly I wondered when the last time he had fed was. I looked at Lissa, Christian, and Adrian. They looked normal. Healthy. I turned to Lissa.

"How are you, um... doing with feeding?" I asked.

"Victor had some feeders," she explained quickly.

"Seriously? Where is he getting these people?" I asked.

"The spirit users that were there when you escaped were ordered to go to an undisclosed location until they were called on. The place is still not on the maps, and it is fully equipped to handle everything they may need. As for the feeders, they were on the plane," Dimitri said. My eyes glanced up to meet his, and then I recalled. I had wanted to talk to him. I frowned and then turned to everyone.

"Can you all give Dimitri and me a minute to chat?" I snapped. Lissa was the first one to dart up and head towards the door, grabbing Christian on the way. Christian was giving Dimitri a pitying look which Dimitri was studiously ignoring, while Adrian had a smug look on his face. For a moment I wondered if we needed to have a talk to, but after a moment I decided to let it go. We had already hurt him enough.

Arielle had stood up and was now standing next to Lissa.

"Could we talk?" she asked hesitently. Lissa smiled and dropped Christian's hand, looping her arm through Arielle's.

"Of course. That would be great. And maybe we could work on spirit some?" she suggested, directing her gaze to Adrian. He had been staring at me, but at the mention of spirit his eyes darted to the two sisters at the door. And looking at them, standing next to each other, it was so obvious that it was a wonder I didn't immediately notice they were related. Because other than Arielle's darker hair, which I was pretty sure was dyed, they looked like identical twins other than a few subtle differences.

"Yes, that'd be cool. See you later, little dhampir," Adrian said, following Lissa, Arielle, and Christian out of the room. Leaving Dimitri and I staring at each other from across the room.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

**Next is Dimitri's conversation with Rose. Or Rose's conversation with Dimitri. Or their conversation with each other. LOL. Either way, some Rose/Dimitri action. :D About time, too, right? Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you! **


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey! :D Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty One

His eyes were watching me, but he wasn't really looking. His face was a mask of cold indifference that sent goosebumps to my skin. It reminded me to much of the not so long ago past where cold stares and telling me to go away were the norm. So before I did anything, I wrapped my arms around him.

"I thought you wanted to talk to me?" he commented, wrapping his arms around me.

"I do, I just wanted a hug first," I admitted. He chuckled, which sent very different types of goosebumps to my skin.

I was melting into his arms, losing myself in his embrace. My thoughts were slowly unraveling the longer I stayed there. And I did need to talk to him. So I pulled myself away before I turned to complete goo.

"Dimitri, I wanted the chance to tell Adrian myself," I started. He nodded. If he was startled at the abrupt change he didn't show it. His mask came back on.

"I know. I'm sorry," he said. And while his words were supposed to be an apology, his air and voice were cold. And while some people would start immediately reassuring him of their feelings and bowing down so it would smooth over, I wasn't some people. I was Rose Hathaway, and I wasn't going to let this go. Because we had hurt Adrian. And he didn't deserve it.

"I don't want to argue with you. Trust me, I don't. But you shouldn't have told Adrian we were back together. Especially since I hadn't told him that he and I were over yet," I scolded fiercely. He scowled.

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't check with you first. Maybe next time I will call you up while I'm fighting with your boyfriend, or whatever he is, and make sure I can say what I want," Dimitri snapped. And for a moment I just stood staring at him. Because surely it wasn't Dimitri Belikov, Russian God, that had just snapped at me. That had just lost control. It just wasn't possible.

After a few moments I took a deep breath. "Look, you know that wasn't how I meant, so don't be an ass." Did I really just call Dimitri an ass?

"You and I both know that I should have been the one to tell Adrian what was going on," I argued. He sighed.

"Yes, but it is what it is. We shouldn't argue about it now. The past is the past," he said.

"Oh really? The past is the past? I think it's funny that you are telling me that now that I'm mad at you. But when I was trying to get you to forget your past as a Strigoi, that was impossible," I yelled. My temper was quickly rising, along with the volume of my voice.

"Rose, be rational. I made a mistake. But Adrian wasn't being perfect either. And I am sorry," he pleaded. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself. When I opened my eyes again I looked at him, at the sincerity etched across his face.

"Roza, please," he murmured. And after a moment, I nodded.

"I still don't think what you did was right, but... I know that you regret it too. And that you agree I should have been the one to mention our... time together and the words passed between us," I sighed. He nodded.

"And while I don't particular like Adrian... he has been a good friend to you," he agreed. "And I don't want to hurt him, either. Not more than has to be."

I suddenly wondered if he knew all that Adrian really had done for me. For us.

"Dimitri, Adrian was the one who funded my trip to Russia. And he was there when I was talking to Robert about bringing back Strigoi. And he was always there while you were gone," I murmured. For a moment I stared at my feet, but finally I looked up at him, unable to contain my curiosity any longer. It looked like he had just gotten slapped in the face.

"When you were in Las Vegas, when it was you, Lissa, Adrian, Eddie, Victor, and Robert, you were there to try to help me?" he asked. I nodded.

"Of course. Why else would I be in the company of Victor? And why would I risk taking my friends out of the wards?" I asked, like it was a no-brainer. He just shook his head.

"And he gave you money to follow me to Russia?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yes. I didn't tell him quite what I was doing, but... he gave me the money. And he helped me along the way. On one condition," I said. He looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes.

"What condition?" he asked slowly.

"That I would give him a chance. That when I came back, I would give him a real chance at a... us." I could barely get the words out. Guilt was twisting my guts, making me nearly nauseous. And the way Dimitri looked...

"He gave you money on the chance you would come back and give him a chance," Dimitri recited. I nodded. "How much was it?"

"A lot of money. More money than I would ever know what to do with it. And completely at my disposal. He set up a bank account with a card for my use, and promised he wouldn't even look at the account. That it was private," I told him. He sighed.

"He is a lot better than anyone ever gave him credit for. Towards you, at least," Dimitri admitted. I smiled and nodded.

"I know. Which is why I was... am so upset that you told him about us before I had a chance to. Because it wasn't fair to him. And technically, when I kissed you, when I begged you and ranted at you to take me back... well, it wasn't fair to Adrian in any way. Because he has been nothing but kind and faithful to me. And I really have no doubt, that if I ever wanted to marry him, he would be there for me. He would marry me. Or if I was in a fix, he would do what he could to help. He would help me no matter what," I said, shaking my head. He really was too good for me. Dimitri chuckled.

"How are you so sure? I'm sure there are limits," he said, trying to lighten the mood. But it just made me feel worse. I shook my head and stared at him.

"He helped me... He came with us to talk to Victor and his brother. He came to help me... To help me get you back. He realized why I wanted to talk to Robert. And he still came. And that might have been sheer curiosity, but I don't care. He was there," I said intensely, as if by saying it more emotionally it would get my point across better. Dimitri frowned and then sighed.

"Rose, do you want to be with him?" Dimitri asked suddenly. I stared at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly, uncomprehendingly.

"Do you want to be with Adrian? And not me?" he asked. My eyes widened further and my mouth parted in horror.

"I love Adrian, I do, but there is nothing I want more than to be with you," I promised. Dimitri shook his head.

"Are you sure? Because when you were talking about Adrian... Maybe he is better for you. Maybe he would really do well for you. And there wouldn't be the complication of our former mentor/student relationship," he said. I rolled my eyes, trying to pack as much Rose bravado into my words as humanly possible so I wouldn't start screaming or crying or both.

"Oh, yes, because dating a royal moroi would be much better," I pointed out. He sighed.

"If Adrian didn't care, and your friends didn't care... Would you really care?" he asked. I sighed. No, probably not. But I wasn't telling Dimitri that.

"It doesn't what they think. It matters what I think. And more importantly, what I know. And I know with everything in me that I want to be with you. That is why I fought you when you were trying to push me away, to restrain our relationship. That is why I went after you, even after you were turned, so that I could fulfill our unspoken promise and free you from that. That is why I crossed every moral line I have to get the information I needed to bring you back. That is why Lissa's life was in danger, because I needed you. That is why, when you kept pushing me away afterwards, that I kept coming back and not letting go. Every time that you have tried or even accidentally pulled us apart, I keep coming back."

"But-" I shook my head and pressed on.

"You are the person I care about most next to Lissa, and even that sometimes changes. Because after you were changed? I left her. She begged me not to, but I left her to come after you. Because I loved you. I still love you. And if leaving Lissa isn't enough proof, I don't know what is. You know what she means to me. You know I would do anything for her. And when I found out that the only way to change you back was to put her in danger, I said no. I wasn't going to do that. And when you kidnapped her, I was going to kill you. But think of how many times I faltered. How many times I hesitated. Beca-" He cut me off.

"I love you, too. I just wanted to let you know that you can choose Adrian. I don't want you to feel obligated to me," he said. I shook my head.

"But I am. You changed me so completely. And so many things about me are better because of your influence. Your teaching," I said. Even in my head it sounded cheesy, and it sounded even worse when I put it out there. But Dimitri smiled and cupped my face gently in his callused hands.

"Roza, that would have happened anyways. Because you are you. And it wouldn't have mattered if I was in your life. Because you are perfect the way you are," he whispered. And then he pressed his lips against mine in the most perfect kiss ever. It was like every happy emotion in the world was coursing through me, like I was high without the alcohol, like I was happy because this man in front of me loved me. I idly wondered if that was how brides felt when they were getting married, so supremely lucky that their new husband loved them. That they had found each other. And for the first time, I just let myself get swallowed in the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and I could feel one warm hand on my back while the other was winding through my hair, something he had always loved. It just felt so perfect, like nothing could go wrong. I felt perfect bliss. Because, in that moment, being kissed so wonderfully, I felt only happiness.

**So, my first question is do you guys think they were in character? The words just kind of... I don't know, they seemed right, but especially towards the end I was worried Rose might be a little too... sappy? I guess that is the right word. But Rose is always more like that with Dimitri. So do you think it was good? Or off base? Please let me know! I want to make sure that I am doing this well, and realistically. Because as much fun as it would be to make them act crazy, it wouldn't work. Although maybe I will write a chapter, just for the fun of it, making them all act crazy. Of course, I would want to make it subtle, so people are more like_ WTF? What just happened? _then _Oh, this is the weird chapter._ Hmm.. I'll start a poll, and you guys can vote. Again, thank you for all of the reviews! It is so cool to be getting, well, any response to be honest! :D So thank you! And I hope you enjoyed. Please review! I love hearing from you all!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey! I love the responses I've been getting from everyone! I'm so glad that, at least those who have reviewed think that she was in character. I felt like most of you guys did... she acts differently around Dimitri. And she would want to explain so he could understand. And with that note and a thousand thank yous to everyone reading and reviewing, enjoy and review! Thanks! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Two

You know the funny thing about happiness? It is like the best thing ever for a moment. But it so easily shattered. So the knock at the door was like a bucket of cold water being thrown over me. I yanked away from Dimitri, who seemed as startled at the sudden change as myself. He looked me over and chuckled.

"What?" I asked, irritated. Couldn't they have given us a little more time?

"You're a bit of a miss," he admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and smoothing the top of my head. I smiled appreciatively and went to answer the door.

Standing on the other side were the only two people I wouldn't get really pissed off with for interrupting our moment. Adrian and Lissa stood on the other side, Adrian looking slightly uncomfortable beneath his trademark ease, and Lissa with a grin on her face. Popping her head out of the room next to us was Arielle with a huge smile on her face.

"Sorry to interrupt your discussion, but we need everyone in the other room to discuss what we are doing next," Lissa said. I nodded and turned back to Dimitri, who had replaced his confused, adorably lustful expression with his normal guardian mask. But it seemed so much like the old Dimitri, the one who would momentarily give in and then switch back immediately into guardian mode that a smile crossed my face.

"We can continue our discussion later," I said, scowling for affect, which in turn brought a smile to Adrian's face. Dimitri nodded crisply.

"Of course," he said, his attention directed to Lissa. Which completely broke the idea that things were like they were before. because underneath the mask, he had that some wondering, worshiping look in his eyes. If it wasn't that I knew he loved me so very much, I would swear that he was in love with _her_. Of course, the idea was ridiculous, but that look. I ground my teeth together.

"Where are we meeting?" I asked. Adrian was smirking, though I couldn't understand why. But after a moment, it hit me. He was staring at the air around me, not directly at me. Meaning... He was reading my aura. Which meant he probably saw the jealous. I sighed.

"The guys room," she informed me.

"Is Victor going to be there?" I asked. She nodded with the smallest frown on her face.

"Yes, but he and Robert are not going to stay long. And they want to talk to you privately afterwards," she said, her frown increasing. I frowned too; what could they have to say to me that couldn't be said to everyone? Either way, I had a feeling it couldn't be good. Maybe it had to do with the murder... He had said he had an idea, hadn't he?

"All right, let's go before they come looking for us," Adrian put in smoothly. I nodded and walked out, followed by Dimitri. Adrian grabbed my arm and pulled me back to stand with him right outside the door, while Lissa and Dimitri walked right in.

"Why, might I ask, are you jealous?" he asked quietly, a smirk on his face. I frowned.

"None of your business," I snapped. One of his eyebrows quirked up.

"Oh, really? Well, I try to make you my business. What's up, little dhampir?" he asked. And underneath the cool, playful exterior that Adrian almost always put out, there was actual concern for me.

"I just... don't particularly like the way Dimitri worships Lissa," I admitted. Adrian immediately frowned, his face creasing. "See, don't you wish you didn't know?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"No, I want to know. I just wish that it was me you were getting jealous over, not Dimitri. But we still have time to change that. I mean, he doesn't have a ring on your finger yet," he joked, his eyes traveling to the ring finger of my left hand.

Marriage seemed like such a... Well, it sounded nice in some ways. Being legally bound to the one you love so no one could ever take them away. Of course, now a days with divorce and everything, that could be changed. But it seemed like... I thought I would like being married to Dimitri. Except, it wasn't practical. And to be honest, being a guardian, why bother? Even having a relationship, a real relationship and not a fling, was frowned upon. Another relationship with another guardian? Definitely frowned upon. And marriage? I didn't know any guardian who had gotten married and continued their duties. Hell, I didn't really know of any dhampir who was married at all. Or those that were... they were outcasts, hiding in the human world.

"Adrian, don't go there right now. We need to get into the meeting before..." I trailed off as he smiled.

"Before what? They think that you are out here what? Making out with me? Some how I doubt that is a problem," he said, his words joking but laced with sadness. Because he wished that there was something to gossip over between us. He wished that they really did think we were doing something other than talking. Preferably with our bodies mushed together and our tongues intertwined.

"Look, you asked, I answered. If you don't want to know something, don't ask about it," I snapped. Adrian smirked.

"Of course, little dhampir. Let's go into the meeting," he offered. I looked at the door he gestured to and then looked back at him.

"Adrian, I'm-" He cut me off.

"Sorry? I know," he said. I opened my mouth to speak again but Adrian placed his hand over my mouth.

"I know that it wasn't... intentional. I know that you love Dimitri. When you guys are together, it is like nothing else. Your aura's glow in each other's presence. Everything about the two of you together... I asked you to give me a real chance. And you tried. I know you did. And I know that you love me. But I don't want you to apologize for feeling something for him. Because I know he was there before I ever was. All I want is a promise that everything between us isn't lost. That we might still have a chance. And that no matter what, you won't right me off," he asked, his green eyes wide and pleading. I felt the guilt seeping in, twisting my guts uncomfortably.

"Adrian, I don't want to make any promises I can't keep," I whispered. I didn't dare look into his eyes.

"So that's it? That's the end of any chance of us? You've all ready decided?" he asked. I shrugged noncommittally.

"I don't know, Adrian," I murmured. He groaned in frustration.

"That's my point! You don't know," he said. "Just promise me you will think about it. Because even if you have given up on me completely, and I don't think you have, I haven't given up on you," he said sincerely. I felt my insides twist more, but this time it was more about pain and sadness then guilt, although that was certainly still there.

"I'll think about it," I sighed. I had still been looking away from him, but now I looked straight into his eyes. "What happens if I choose Dimitri?" I asked. Adrian smiled sadly.

"Then I watch you and Dimitri live happily ever after," he said.

"And?" I asked. He knew what I was asking without me clarifying.

"I'm still going to be your friend. I'm not going to abandon you just because you chose someone else, especially since I know that he was here first. Because no matter what I care about you. And I know that your heart was still with him when you were with me. And all I was asking for was a promise you wouldn't give up on us yet," he said.

I opened my mouth to speak, but then the door opened and Lissa stuck her head out. Curiosity was running through her mind, and I had a feeling we were going to be having a long discussion about both of the men in my life very soon. But for now she pushed that away.

"Are you guys coming?" she asked. I stared at her.

There was still a lot of things we had to discuss. And we were far from getting things resolved. If anything, I had just basically promised Adrian he still had a chance. Which I knew wasn't really true. I had Dimitri back and he wanted me. But as Lissa had done with her curiosity, I pushed my feelings and concerns away. Because I knew I needed all of my faculties together for the meeting ahead.

"Ya, coming." And with that, I walked inside.

**First I just want to say how bad I feel for Adrian. And what a mistake Rose made by telling him she would think about it. Because, yes, she is going to think about it. Rose has a lot of issues. But that wasn't fair to Adrian, to keep him waiting around for her on the slight chance she decides she wants him. But anyway... :D Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Did you think Rose was in character, or was she a little too... I don't know. Do you think she would have told Adrian she would think about it to spare his feelings for the moment? I personally felt she would, because she does care about Adrian and she doesn't him to get hurt. Which is kind of inevitable, but whatever. What did you think? Please review! **


	33. Chapter 33

**So that was really bad of Rose, wasn't it? She shouldn't have promised Adrian anything... even just to think about it. Because she can't have both. So the best thing Rose can do is help Adrian move on. But, before any of that can be done, she still has other stuff to deal with. Sorry if you didn't like last chapter... I wasn't quite sure what Rose would do. And I felt like, in the end, she wouldn't want to flat out destroy every hope Adrian ever had. Everything will get fixed, but for right now... Rose has more pressing concerns. At least, I think Rose would feel that way. Just from what she did in the books... using Adrian's feelings for her to help her, letting Adrian drink blood from her after Dimitri was a jerk. Of course, neither of those were when Dimitri was in the picture. But for the first Adrian had never been in the picture. And for the second... she was down. And she wanted to give him something. Of course, now she has to deal with Dimitri and Adrian and her feelings for each. Hands down Dimitri wins. But she still feels for Adrian... And she doesn't want to hurt him. Which is why I had her do what she did. I just wanted to clarify, because I felt like I hadn't really explained well enough yesterday. Hopefully this chapter will go better! Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Three

I sat down in between Lissa and Dimitri, who gave me a curious look. I just shook my head. I was definitely not going to explain anything right now. I looked towards Abe, who I assumed was heading the meeting. But when everyone was seated around the room, they all looked towards me.

"What?" I asked. Lissa smiled.

_Ummm, we kind of need to know what the plan is._ I just stared at her. How was I supposed to know? And then it dawned on me. They thought I had a plan. Did they not know me at all?

"So, what's the plan?" I asked lightly. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Dimitri rolling his eyes, and Adrian smirked. Lissa and Arielle exchanged a look. When did they get so close? Everyone was kind of like, oh, typical Rose. Christian was the only one who spoke up.

"Are you serious, Rose? You drag us all out here and then ask us what we are supposed to be doing?" he asked. I frowned at him.

"First off, I did not drag anyone out here. Everyone came of their own free will, and you especially are more than welcome to go back. And second, I have a list of things I am supposed to be doing, one of which I have accomplished. Well, two," I said, looking towards Dimitri. After a moment I looked back towards everyone. And, of course, they were all looking expectantly towards me.

"The list?" Christian demanded impatiently. I resisted the urge to snap at him.

"Seriously, Rose, we want to help you," Lissa said gently. I nodded.

"I know that. First on the list was find Lissa's sister. Done. Now you both need to go back to court so Lissa can get a place on the counsel. Second, I wanted to save Dimitri. Also done. And third I want to find out who actually killed the queen so I can clear my name," I told them quickly. Christian smirked.

"Saving yourself is only third? How selfless," he teased. I decided that the best policy in this case was just to ignore him, and like any annoying pest, with luck, he'll go away.

"Rose, I really don't think it's a good idea for us to separate," Lissa argued quietly. I turned to her.

"I don't want to separate either, but right now the best thing for you to do is go back to court. Try to get yourself untangled from all of my stuff. Take Christian, Adrian, and my mother with you. Understood?" I asked. But before I could even get the last word out, their was an outbreak of arguing, all directed at me. The only people not saying anything were Dimitri, Abe, and Arielle, who was sitting silently watching us all debate.

"Rose, there is no way you are packing me up to go back to court while you stay with Belikov-" "Rose, do you really think that is a good idea?" "Rose, I could be helpful!" "Rose, what if you get hurt again?" And on and on it went until finally I threw my hands up in the air and stood up.

"Shut up! Seriously, stop arguing. You asked what my plan is, and that is what I decided. Now-" Adrian cut me off.

"Rose, I'm not leaving you here, especially not with Belikov," he snapped, completely out of character for him. I smirked.

"First, if I want Dimitri with me and you at court safe, then that is the way it is. And second, Dimitri isn't staying with me either," I informed him. Which made Dimitri's head snap up so his eyes met mine.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"You, Abe, and Arielle are going to be following after them from a different direction. When you get to court, you are going to proclaim that Arielle is a Dragomir. Everything gets settled... Bam! Lissa is on the counsel," I told him. He frowned.

"And what are we supposed to tell the counsel when they ask how we found her?" he asked, triumph in his voice. As if he assumed I couldn't figure out a way to cover that. I just shrugged.

"Tell them I asked you to. Tell them I knew and that as a last request, I asked you to go find her and give you the information. Tell them anything! I don't really know, just figure it out. You and Abe are both smart. It shouldn't be a problem," I said with another shrug. Dimitri looked on the point of arguing further when Abe finally spoke.

"It makes sense. It is the most sensible, risk-free plan I think Rose is going to come up with. It gets everyone she cares about to court while giving them a purpose to help her. Because, you all are really helping her. You realize that, right?" he asked. When he received skeptical looks, including myself, he explained. "By returning to court, you can help Rose's case. You can prove with your actions that you believe she is innocent. Because if you thought there was any chance that she was guilty, you wouldn't leave for a vacation, now would you?" he asked. I hadn't really thought of it that way...

"And, further more, you can work some influence while you are there. Convince some of the regular people. Plus, getting Vasilisa on the counsel... That would give her a large popularity boost, and she would be more respected. Plus, she would be able to talk with the counsel about Rose's case. And we all know Rose works better when she is not having to worry about her friends. Which means you would help her get to her goal and figure what is going on faster. Plus, through Vasilisa, we could all provide information from inside the court which might be able to help her," he finished, a satisfied smile on his face. Even I was surprised. Who knew I was that devious?

"I still don't like it," Adrian muttered. I looked straight at him.

"Adrian, I want you safe. And you'll be more help getting information and letting me know what is going on inside the court than anything else. Because not knowing what is going on over there is not helping," I told him, willing him to listen. For a moment I wished I could use compulsion, and then dashed the thought away. That was wrong. I couldn't take away someone's will and make them do something. Nor should I want to.

After a moment, Adrian nodded.

"Fine." He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. "I need a drink," he muttered. I ignored him. I needed everyone on board, so I turned next to Christian. He scowled.

"I still think I would be more use to you here," he muttered. I looked at him weirdly. "What?" he finally asked.

"Did you actually just admit you wanted to help me?" I asked him with a teasing smile. His scowl deepened.

"You should really have at least one person protecting you. And I could do it," he offered. My smile softened. He really wasn't so bad, once you get past all of the annoying sarcastic remarks.

"Thank you, Christian, but I think it's best if you use your efforts protecting Lissa," I told him. He glanced over to her and took her hand. And after a few seconds of them exchanging messages with their eyes, he nodded.

"All right."

I knew I didn't really need to, because I had a feeling Arielle would be pretty good with any plan. But I turned to look at her.

"Well? What do you think of the plan?" I asked her. She nodded.

"It's as good as any. But I just have one question," she said. I nodded.

"What?" I asked, trying to be patient. I really just wanted to make sure that everyone was okay with it so we could get onto to actually executing... Okay, bad word choice. So we could get to starting the plan, and getting everyone to safety. But she had been quiet when everyone else was arguing. She had the right to ask one question.

"Earlier, you said you had a list. And that third on that list was to find out who actually killed the queen so you could clear your name. So my question to you is, what the hell is going on?"

**This chapter is a bit shorter, but I just couldn't help but leave it off right there. I want to thank _Ariana122 _for your super nice review and all of the reviews before that which have made me smile. And thank you to everyone else who has reviewed! You would not believe how happy it makes me, seeing everyone of them. I would list you all... but that would take way too long. Hope you liked this chapter. Isn't Rose so smart? :D Anyway, again, hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you everyone for reviewing! It is so nice to hear what you have to say and all of the positive feedback is so nice! :D Anyway, enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Four

I stared at her for a long moment. The question I didn't want to answer the most. But of course there was no way I could avoid it.

"Before I say anything, you have to promise to not make any judgments until I finish telling you," I said, staring her down hard. She looked puzzled but nodded. I waited for her to actually say it.

"I promise." She looked slightly nervous, her eyes scanning each person before making their way back to me.

"Queen Tatiana was murdered. She was found in her bed with a stake in her heart. My stake." At the alarmed look on her face, I sighed. "Let's go back a little. We didn't have the best..." I trailed off. Something had just clicked in my head.

"She's dead," I murmured. From every corner of the room I was getting the _Rose is crazy _look that loved so much. Lissa nodded slowly, concern running through the bond. She placed a hand on my arm.

"Yes, the queen is dead," she repeated. I shook her hand off and jumped off, making Dimitri and Adrian jump up too.

"She was murdered," I muttered. This time no one spoke.

"Oh my God! I am so stupid," I exclaimed finally. I considered for just a moment letting everyone believe I was crazy and not actually explaining to them. But that was too mean, even for me. So I rattled off a quick explanation.

"She was murdered. Brutally. Which means..." I trailed off, waiting for someone to get it.

"Meaning? Come one, Rose, not everyone is quite as smart as you," Christian prompted sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Meaning, she is probably still around." I looked around the room triumphantly, only to be met with blank looks. I sighed impatiently. "Meaning she is most likely a ghost! She wasn't young, but she did die in a violent way. I can probably talk to her!" I said.

It was a like a light bulb went off in everyone's head, except Arielle, who still was looking blankly at me. Lissa looked at me excitedly.

"Do you think..." _she will know who killed her?_ she finished in her head. I bit my lip and shrugged.

"It's our best shot, and the only real plan we have right now. And since we are outside of the wards..." I trailed off and was silent for a moment. Everyone was watching me.

"Queen Tatiana? Your Highness?" I asked, feeling completely idiotic. And by the look on everyone's faces, I looked pretty idiotic too. There was a snicker from Christian which sobered up when I turned my glare on him. Abe looked faintly amused, waiting for something to happen. As was I. Because so far, she was making me look bad.

"Your Highness, I would really like to talk to you," I said aloud. There was another snicker and a throat clearing. I sighed.

"She's not here?" Dimitri asked. I shook my head, and then changed it into a nod halfway through. Because Tatiana had finally arrived.

She was staring at me, her face sad. She was still in her night gown, presumably what she was wearing when she was killed. But from what I could see, there was no wound.

"Your Highness, thank you for coming," I said, giving her a slight nod which she half returned. Everyone was know looking towards the spot I was talking to, as if they might see something. Arielle's eyes were wide as she stared right at the queen. Which made me believe she could actually see her.

"Uhh, Arielle, can you..." I trailed off as she nodded.

"Because I can project my spirit out of my body, I can also see spirits that have done the same," she explained. I nodded. At least one person knew I wasn't crazy.

"Can you tell me who killed you?" I asked her. She shook her head. I forgot; ghosts can't say anything, and when they do, it takes an enormous amount of effort. Being that I wasn't particularly fond of Tatiana anyways, this was going to get old fast.

"Can we play a game of twenty questions?" I asked. She cocked her head to the side for a moment, as if thinking about it. "Seriously? Look, we are trying to bring justice... Okay, we are actually trying to save my ass. But since I didn't kill you, can't you help us out?" I asked. She again shook her head. I ground my teeth in frustration and my hand involuntarily curled into a fist.

"Look, I'm kind of sorry about calling you a sanctimonious bitch, all right?" I muttered. An eyebrow rose on Dimitri's face as he turned to look at me. I shook my head and pursed my lips. That was so a conversation for another time. All Tatiana did was shake her head again. I ground my fist into my thigh.

"Okay, do you know who killed you?" I asked, frustration clearly seeping in. Again she nodded. I looked at Arielle, who confirmed what I had seen.

"You don't know who killed you?" I asked. She shook her head. I threw my hands up in the air, exasperated.

"Wow, you are exactly zero help. Do you know anything at all?" I asked. She nodded. "What?" She shook her head.

"Okay, time for you to go away. I am so done with this bull shit," I said. Tatiana shrugged and disappeared.

"So, what did she say?" Lissa asked immediately. I sighed.

"Absolutely nothing Literally. And she motioned that she doesn't know who killed her. But she does know something. That about right?" I asked, turning to Arielle, who nodded.

"So, what that means for us is we have some work to do. I know before I said I didn't want you guys involved, but if you can even find out the tiniest bit of information that would be helpful. And we are getting everyone on flights today. Lissa, Christian-" I was cut off.

"Rose, you haven't gotten everyones agreement on the plan yet," Dimitri reminded me. I sighed and looked at him.

"Well? What do you think?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I like almost everything. Except leaving you alone without protection. And, may I remind you, you are going to need someone else who isn't on trial for the queen's murder," he said. I rolled my eyes. Of course he would take issue with it.

"I won't be alone. Victor, Robert, and their people will be with me," I said, gesturing towards the two men who had been sitting quietly in the background so I had forgotten about them until this moment. Dimitri quirked up one eyebrow. And while normally it would make me jealous, I was just annoyed.

"Oh, yes, that is definitely going to make everyone feel better. You should have someone with you. And it shouldn't be a Moroi," he said. I thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"You know what, Dimitri, you are totally right. Mom, would you mind staying with me?" I asked, turning to her with a slight smile. She nodded, completely serious.

"Of course I will stay," she said. At least I could depend on her to always back me up. Or so I thought. "But we need to make sure the Moroi have ample protection while they are traveling back."  
I nodded.

"Of course. So Dimitri can travel with Adrian, Christian, and Lissa. Dimitri is totally bad ass and Christian can help with any Strigoi, so while court standards would not agree, they will be fine. It's not ideal, but it would make their "getting away from the stress" cover much more believable. Then Abe has plenty of people to call on for protection for him and Arielle," I said.

"I don't like it," Dimitri argued. I shrugged.

"Well, right now we have three against one. Liss?" I asked, turning to her. She bit her lip.

"I know you want us safe, but... You promised," she reminded me, dragging up the memory of my promise to her that I would take her with me.

"I did when we broke Victor out," I told her. She nodded, still biting her lip. I could feel the anxiety running through the bond.

"Don't worry about me, Liss. I will be perfectly fine. And it will be much easier for me if I know you are safe at court," I told her. So she nodded. I could feel her trust for me, so explicit that if I told her to jump off of Mount Everest or the Empire State Building, she would.

"All right. Four to one. Look, no matter what, not everyone is going to be happy. So we just have to deal with it. And may I remind you all that you asked me what the plan was. And we all know I don't exactly do plans. So I did the best I could," I told them.

"What if I get them safely back to court with your mother and then return and join you," Dimitri offered. He was obviously going to be difficult about this.

"How about not. Look, that will be way too suspicious. And they would definitely know that you were joining me. So, no," I said. He frowned.

"Let's finish this argument later. I conceded that it would be good to have one person with me. Which means either way we know how many people need to be traveling. I'm sure Zmey will figure out the sneaky details," I said, using his old name. It was oddly perfect, considering what he was doing. Abe smiled.

"While you guys sort that out, we need to speak with Rose privately," Victor said, speaking for the first time. I nodded. I had a feeling I wanted to know what he had to say.

**Chapter thirty four done! :D Hope you enjoyed, and please review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Thanks for the reviews! We are over three hundred, which is so cool! Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Five

I followed Victor and Robert out of the room, ignoring the stares of everyone. I closed the door of the room behind me and walked behind them the few feet to their door, where Victor had already run the key through the scanner and opened the door. I walked in, followed by the two men. The door was quickly shut closed and locked.

Through the wall I could hear the muffled sounds of arguing, which made me sigh and wish I could just slip into Lissa's head right now. As it was, I was uncomfortable, but I pushed it aside.

"What?" I asked, plopping down into the chair next to the window. Robert took a seat on the bed next to the wall, whereas Victor sat across from me at the small table, his back to a corner. I wondered where all his people were; it always seemed as if they disappeared. But I pushed the thought away and tried to focus on Victor.

"If you remember, I mentioned that I knew something about the... identity of the true killer of the queen," he reminded me. I nodded. While the idea that I would find Lissa's sister, and then actually finding her, had pushed it far out of my mind, it now was front and center. Of course I remembered. "I-" He started to speak, but I cut him off.

"How?" I asked, leaning forward and placing my elbows on the table as I clasped my hands in front of me. Victor looked confused.

"How what?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and ground my teeth together.

"How do you know who the killer is?" I asked. He shrugged and stared evenly at me.

"I just know. Isn't that enough?" he asked. I shook my head and leaned back, moving my hands to my lap.

"No, it really isn't. I don't trust you," I hissed. He smirked.

"Oh, really? Then why were you okay with leaving your dear friends in my care while you ran off?" he asked, his grin widening. I frowned.

"That was spirit. And I was checking on Liss- I don't have to explain myself to you," I yelled, suddenly angry. Why should I have to? His smile was nearly running from ear to ear.

"And that brings me back to not telling. Believe me, all will be revealed in time. But for now, we need to get your friends on the plane. I agree with your plan, except for one part. I don't think you need any protection, especially not from us. I don't believe that it will be necessary. And, might I add, it will make everything more suspicious if one less person comes back then went. Imagine what the court will think?" he said. I frowned. I hadn't even thought about that. But before I conceded that he was right, which I would really hate doing, I wanted to see more of what he thought.

"How so?" I snapped, as if I was really offended that he thought any part of my plan was less than perfect. He spread his arms wide.

"Why, a group your friends wanders off, and when they come back claim not to have seen you, or have been going to look for you. But, one of you is not here. Why? The story would be much more plausible if everyone goes back. My suggestion would be for Adrian to go with Abe instead of Dimitri; Dimitri and Vasilisa are obviously close, making him being with her all the more plausible. And Adrian and you were together, and are together in the eyes of the counsel and the court, so naturally he would go with your father to find Arielle and fulfill your wish. Send your mother with Abe and Adrian; in that way, everyone has a guardian. And it makes sense," he finished with a smirk.

I had to agree; it did make sense. I wished that I had thought of it. I nodded.

"I'll be making the necessary arrangements," I told him, without actually saying that I was using his modified version or that I thought it was good. "Now, why did you call me in here? I actually have people I like hanging out with in there," I said, pointing to the room were the arguments were still continuing. Victor smiled.

"By all means, join your friends. We can discuss the more important details after everyone leaves," he said, standing up and sweeping his arm out, as if inviting me to leave. I pushed my chair back and glared.

"I believe I will," I retorted, stomping out of the room and going to the next one. I reached out to open the door. But, of course, it needed a key. Which I didn't have.

I knocked twice, leaning against the door frame until finally the door swung open. Everyone became quiet as I walked in.

"What? Were you guys talking about me or something?" I joked, plopping down on the bed next to Lissa. Everyone was giving everyone else a look that clearly showed they were sending messages. Except I had no idea what they were talking about.

Instead of getting on their backs about it, I cleared my throat and directed their attention to me. Everyone looked over after another round of looks.

"Okay, so I thought about it, and I think that it would be best if everyone returns to court," I stated. Another round of looks were exchanged, irritating me.

"If you have something to say, just say it!" I snapped angrily. Lissa looked at me apologetically.

"We had a feeling this might happen. Rose, we know you can handle anything, but it would be better to have someone you can trust with you. Because unless your mind has been swiped and you have been compelled, there is no way you could trust Victor," she said gently. I frowned. Of course I didn't trust him, but at the moment he had information I needed. And he had helped find Lissa's sister... Of course,I had actually found her. But without the information he had given me, well, I might have walked right past the girl countless times and never known.

"Of course I don't trust him. But I can handle myself," I told her. Dimitri spoke.

"We know you can. But sometimes even the strongest people need some help," he said, giving me another Zen lesson without even trying. That was certainly one thing I hadn't missed.

"Rose, we just want to make sure that you are safe, too," Adrian put in. I smirked.

"Somehow I don't think that is going to work so well. You see, I am accused of murdering the queen and am up for execution," I reminded him, a hint of sarcasm marring my tone. Of course, everything I had said was true. But somehow... the sarcasm was still there.

But Adrian was serious. His eyebrows were pulled together, his mouth was curled down, and his green eyes were void of the usual light mirth. He shook his head.

"You know what I meant," he said wearily. I nodded.

"I do, but look at it this way. The court will be suspicious if someone doesn't come back. It will look weird, and they'll figure out that you were with me," I said. Lissa's eyes widened. After a second, she let out a gust of air.

"She's right," she said. I could feel the disappointment in her, burning through her.

"We could work it out where that wasn't the case," Dimitri interjected quietly. I turned to look at him; his brown eyes were trained on me.

"I am all ears," I said. One side of his mouth lifted slightly.

"First, what were the groupings going to be?" he asked.

"Lissa, you, and Christian. Abe, Adrian, my mother, and Arielle," I told him quickly. Christian snorted, drawing everyone's attention.

"Sorry, I just think you should send your mom with us, too. Then you would have the three A's," he chuckled. I rolled my eyes and refocused my attention on Dimitri.

"Well, Comrade?" I asked. Now his mouth curled even more at the familiar nickname.

"Christian's right. Send Janine with them, I'll stay behind with you. Abe can hire some guards," he said. I frowned.

"And how did you figure that?" I asked, actual curious but trying to exude anything but.

"Well, Abe and Adrian can say that I went with them initially and then decided to start looking for you after we found Arielle," he explained. Lissa and Christian exchanged a look and then Lissa turned to me.

"It could work," she murmured. I looked at her as if she was crazy.

"I don't like it," Adrian muttered. Of course he wouldn't. And then he sighed. "But at least you would have someone with you."

I was surprised. He actually thought this was a good idea? But I knew what it really was. He cared about me enough to want me to have someone who could help me, and who protect me. Dimitri fit both of those categories. So while he didn't want to have us alone, his want for my safety outweighed his want for me to be away from Dimitri.

I got up and crossed the room, wrapping my arms tightly around Adrian.

"Thank you. You really are way too good to me," I whispered into his ear. There was a stunned silence coming from every part of the room. Adrian wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back tightly, and then pushed me gently away.

"Everyone okay with it?" he asked. There were nods from every face.

"All right. Well, I guess it's settled." My eyes traveled to Dimitri, who stood with a very smug look on his face. This was going to be interesting.

**Seriously? Adrian is the best. He definitely deserves someone else in his life, someone who isn't in love with someone else. And, Rose is going to have Dimitri with her. But anyway... what did you think of the chapter? Hope you enjoyed! And please review! I want to hear your thoughts! And thank you again to _Ariana122. _Your reviews are awesome!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them so much. Also, I would like to make two recommendations, both for the _Darkest Powers _series. My sister, _DeadlyRedAlice_, is writing a version of the next book, entitled _The Harrowing._ _Amethyst-Blood Crimson-Tears _is also writing a continuation of the series called _The Haunting_. Both are really talented writers with great stories that are getting better all the time! I would definitely check them out! But, without further ado, chapter thirty six. Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Six

Victor was not exactly pleased with the way things turned out. But he kept his mouth shut after I finally told him to shut the hell up because that was the way it was.

Abe easily called in some favors and got two private jets, giving as much as little detail as possible while still ensuring they understood what they needed to do. He told everyone they would be here in about three hours, leaving us very little time to just talk and relax.

Arielle, Adrian, and Lissa were talking excitedly on one end of the room, gabbing about spirit and the different things they could do. Lissa was extremely interested in the astral projecting; she figured that since she couldn't seem to get the dream walking, this would give her a different way to communicate with me and check up on me. Adrian, of course, had the dream walking, but he found the idea of popping in anywhere at any time extremely appealing, considering no one would be able to see him. I had more than a sneaking suspicion this would not be a good thing, but for the moment I let them enjoy their talk.

Christian was sitting on the bed, staring at the ceiling and listening in to their conversation. He looked extremely bored as he played with fire. Abe was talking to my mother and Dimitri, an interesting conundrum that left me slightly uneasy. I knew they were only talking about guarding and stuff, but the idea of my parents talking to Dimitri... Ugh.

Finally, I plopped myself down in between Adrian and Lissa. All conversation about spirit ceased as they turned to me.

"I feel a lot better knowing that Belikov is going to be with you," Adrian admitted. "At least he will make sure that nothing happens to you, even if it means his own life." Lissa nodded.

"Me, too. I really didn't like the idea of leaving you here with Victor," she said with a slight shudder. I nodded.

"I know. But I could have handled myself," I argued. Lissa shrugged. She still felt immensely comforted by the idea that Dimitri was staying with me.

"At least I'll still be part of your dreams," Adrian said, brightening up. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, those wonderful dreams that I just love _so _much," I sighed, dripping sarcasm. Adrian grinned.

"You know you secretly love them," he teased. I rolled my eyes, but it was kind of true. It gave me a way to communicate and see him. Our conversation went a lot like that until, about twenty minutes before they were going to have to leave, Abe called me over. I rolled my eyes and got up, walking over.

"Yup?" I asked. My mother frowned.

"We just wanted to let you know that we will be leaving soon. And be careful. Do you have any spirit rings?" she asked. I nodded. I was pretty sure I still had the one Victor had gotten me somewhere. Probably packed away somewhere. Abe looked suspicious.

"We'll have Vasilisa make you another one before we leave just to be safe. And we are having one made up for Dimitri." The way she was talking you, you would swear it was factory made. She then handed me a slim silver cell phone, which I pocketed immediately.

"That phone is safe to use. Abe protected it against wire tapping and all that stuff, so you can call any time and talk about anything." I nodded. It would be nice to have a way of calling everyone and checking in.

"But it is only to call the specified numbers already on the phone, so don't think you can call Vasilisa any time you want," Abe continued.

"Well then what is the use of that?" I asked. My mother gave me a look, as did Abe, which shut me up. "Any thing else?" I grumbled. Abe nodded.

"Don't trust any one, except Dimitri. If he tells you to do something, do it, and don't argue. I don't trust Victor with an inch of my life, and I don't like the idea of leaving you here. Dimitri also has a phone; he will be calling to update me, and he will tell me if you haven't listened," Abe warned.

"Oh, really? Is he my baby sitter or something? For God sake, I am a full guardian and I can take care of myself! I don't need someone watching my every move and reporting back to my parents," I snapped. Abe just glowered.

"Rose, just shut up for once in your life and do as I say. Your life, and in a way, Vasilisa's, depends on your safety and your ability to listen to Guardian Belikov," he snapped back. I cocked my head.

"Oh, is it Guardian Belikov now? Did they give him back his title?" I asked. They all exchanged an uneasy look.

"No, not yet. We are working on that," my mother finally answered. I sighed.

"Anything else?" I asked. They exchanged another look and then shook their heads. Abe checked his watch.

"Say your goodbyes. We have to leave in just a minute," he told me, and then disappeared with my mother from the room.

I walked over to Lissa, Adrian, and Arielle and sighed.

"Looks like parting time has come," I told them. Christian stood up immediately and walked over, and to my complete and utter surprise, he hugged me.

"Be careful, Rose. More than just your life depends on your success. And I might actually miss arguing with you if something happens. Besides, we make a kick ass team," he said. I grinned.

"Yes, yes we do. And you know what? I might actually miss you too, fire boy. And you better watch over Lissa. If anything happens to her, you are so dead," I threatened. He nodded solemnly and then grinned and moved out of the way so Lissa could wrap her arms around me. There were tears in her eyes and her grip was tight enough that I was worried I might lose circulation from the neck down.

"Oh my God, Rose, please please please be careful. If anything happens to you... You know I'll probably die, too, right? You have to be careful," she whispered. I could feel her anxiety, her worry, her frustration at being unable to help. Her fear that something would happen to me and she wouldn't be around to heal me. She glared over my shoulder at Dimitri.

"You better take really good care of her, and if anything happens to her... I am blaming you," she said matter-a-factly. Dimitri nodded.

"I'll do everything I can," he promised. Lissa leaned back and stared at me for a moment.

"You have to take care of him, too, you know," she reminded me softly. I nodded.

"I know. We'll watch over each other," I promised. She nodded.

"But not too much, if you know what I mean," Adrian said. I smiled sadly and hugged him while Lissa went into the other room to get her stuff together and make the rings. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist and his mouth pressed against my ear.

"I love you, little dhampir. I'll be waiting for you when you come back," he said. I closed my eyes, trying to block the tears. I wanted to tell him that we couldn't... that he shouldn't. That he should move on with someone else. But how could I make that my parting words to him? What if something did happen to me? I didn't want us parting in anger, or sadness. I just... I couldn't do that.

"I'll be back soon enough," I said with a smile, kissing him gently on the cheek. He kissed me softly on the lips and then moved away, leaving the room.

"Well, I guess this is good bye for now, Rose," Arielle said with a smile. I nodded.

"Yup. Now you watch over your sister for me, okay?" I said sternly. She grinned and nodded.

"Of course. It'll be interesting, living at Court and being part of a royal family and everything," she mused. I smiled.

"Yes, but Lissa'll help you. She really is the best sister anyone could ask for," I told her. At that moment, Abe popped his head in.

"All right. Everyone out. Good bye, Rose," he called in. With a flurry of last goodbyes everyone walked out of the room, leaving Dimitri and I alone. I slumped down on to the bed.

"You can slip into Lissa for a while, until you know she is safe on the plane," Dimitri offered, sitting down next to me and taking my hand. I nodded gratefully and did as he said. They were still in the elevator, a sadness to the air that seemed to affect everyone. The elevator finally stopped and they all walked out, making their way past the lobby and outside. And all hell broke loose.

**Okay, so everyone is gone... Ish. Almost. Soon, it will just be Dimitri, Rose, Victor, Robert, and their peoples... That'll be fun, won't it. ;) Anyway, thank you again for all of the reviews, I really love them and hearing your ideas and what you think! So, hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	37. Chapter 37

**I loved the comments and the guesses! I was originally going to do a Strigoi attack, but as I got the first review, I was like OMG! Better idea! So, ya... ;) Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Seven

Lissa and I gasped at the same time. I felt myself being tugged back into my body, but I shook it off, fighting to stay inside. Because the only thing worse than this would have been a Strigoi attack.

There were at least two dozen guardians waiting in the lobby, all seemingly prepared for them. Lissa's fear peaked and changed into a different type of fear. Fear for me. She was grateful at least that Abe had left the two rings resting right inside the room, on the bed...

I slipped out of Lissa's head and jumped up, rushing over and picking up the two silver rings. I ran over and thrust the large one at Dimitri.

"Put it on," I ordered, slipping mine on as I said it. He looked bewildered and concerned, but he obediently put it on.

"Rose, whats going on?" he asked, but he sounded different. I turned around and saw a good looking blonde Moroi guy. He looked me over and then looked in the mirror. I looked over with him. I was a blonde Moroi, too, except female.

"Guardians. There here. Now go tell Victor while I see whats going on," I said, sitting down on the bed and slipping back into her head without waiting for a response. I remembered a time when it was only by accident that I would be in here. And now it came as easily as breathing.

"Princess, where is Miss Hathaway?" one man asked, looking around at the other guardians who were all talking to someone. During the brief seconds I was missing, they had all agreed they didn't know where I was. Although how they communicated was beyond me.

"_Guardian _Hathaway's whereabouts are unknown, even to me," she answered crisply, radiating confidence and ease.

"Are you sure she isn't... here?" he asked, trying to sound all cool and mysterious and failing miserably. He must be new. He looked pretty young, almost fresh out of school. I was surprised he wasn't even here.

"Of course not. Do you really think I would be leaving if she were here?" she asked, giving him a look like he was insane. He looked stumped. Then someone I recognized came over; Guardian Evans came over, a stern look on his withered face.

"Daniel, go help Sam. I'll talk to the princess," he said, peering at her. The one he called Daniel nodded, glanced at Lissa, and then disappeared to go to Sam.

"Princess, it is imperative that we find Miss Hathaway, for the safety of our people," he said, an air of power around him. Lissa didn't falter, though.

"I suppose if Guardian Hathaway was a threat I would be concerned. But since she did not actually kill the queen, it is impossible for me to be anything but glad that she escaped. Now if you would kindly get your people to leave and stop interrogating us, that would be greatly appreciated," she said, looking straight into his eyes and exerting just the tiniest bit of spirit. But this guardian was strong.

"I am sorry, princess, but I don't think I will be able to do that. You see, you and your friends are the number one suspects on our list of people who helped Miss Hathaway escape," he said seriously. A shot of fear drove through her, but she tucked it away, unable to indulge in her emotions right now.

"We did not help Rose escape," she answered. Which was true. They hadn't. But Guardian Evans didn't know that. He just smirked and nodded his head slowly.

"Of course you didn't. We are going to take you and friends back to the court, princess," he said. Lissa's fear spiked even more.

"Back to court? We were already headed back, in case you didn't notice," she said. Evans frowned.

"Yes, but this is not going to be a happy trip," he responded. Lissa was worried. But she managed to get one clear thought within the mess that was her head.

_Stay put, Rose. Don't you dare come down here. We will be fine. Don't leave your room._ She just kept repeating it in her head for nearly a minute. I slipped out of her head, but the idea was still strong.

"She wants me to stay put," I said, glancing towards the door. Dimitri nodded.

"She'll be fine, especially with a ton of guardians. Look at me," he ordered. When I didn't, he grasped my chin gently but firmly in his hand and turned my head to look at him. "Roza, you have to stay put. Lissa will be fine, as will the others, but you... You'll be sent back to jail before you can blink. And then they will push the trial up, condemn you to death... No. It isn't worth it. She is safe," he said, willing me to believe it. I knew they wouldn't really do anything to her; after all, she was the last Dragomir. But her worry and mine still throbbed inside of me.

It wasn't a very Dimitri-like move, but he had changed and was desperate for me not to rush out of the room to save Lissa. So he pressed his lips against mine, distracting me. Which he did a very good job of, up until I felt fear go through Lissa. It was so high that I was momentarily sucked into her body, where the guardians were now fighting... Oh my God.

I yanked myself back into my body, and pushed Dimitri away, who was looking at me with concern in his deep brown eyes.

"Strigoi," I managed to mutter before running towards the door. But something strong and heavy stopped me.

Dimitri grabbed my arm and turned me around.

"You can not go down there. Lissa will be absolutely fine with all the guardians. She would not want you going down there to protect her and getting her recaptured. And that would completely blow their cover. I'm sure that they were telling the guardians they didn't know where you are. If you run down there-" I cut him off.

"If I run down there, they will just see a blonde Moroi," I pointed out. Dimitri shook his head.

"They will see a blonde Moroi staking Strigoi and hovering around Lissa. They're not stupid. They'll figure it out," he countered. I sighed and sat down on the bed as if I was willing to just sit there. As if.

Dimitri seemed to relax the tiniest bit, but I had no doubt that one move towards the door would result in a very heavy Russian god pushing me back down with his large hands. Which, actually wasn't too bad an idea. Because while the reason he would be pushing me would be anything other than romantic, the idea of him pushing me onto a bed... Not as bad.

"Comrade, the worry is eating me up inside," I whined, glancing towards the door. I shifted the tiniest bit, and Dimitri shifted with me. Obviously he didn't trust me. He was watching my every move.

"Seriously? I can't believe you don't trust me," I grouched. "This is almost as bad as..." I cut myself off. I had been about to finish with as bad as Russia. But that would have been so bad. And I didn't want to hurt him. Actually, the exact opposite.

But despite my unfinished sentence, he seemed to get the gist. His face crumpled up in pain, and he gave me such a look that I felt I would die right then.

"Dimitri, I didn't mean-" I barely knew what to say. But he just shook his head, closing his eyes momentarily. And I took that moment to jump up and run for the door.

My hand was actually on the doorknob when a heavy arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back forcefully. I struggled for only moment, giving up in defeat as he pressed me against the bed, holding me down with his body.

"Lissa will be fine. I'll go after her if it will make you feel better," he offered. Over every other emotion was this concern for me, making my heart sing. So before I did anything rash, I slipped into Lissa's head.

The few humans who had been there, which had been a grand total of two, were currently being compelled to forget what they had seen. However many Strigoi there had been, they were dead now. Or, they had been staked and destroyed. Because they were already dead in most the ways that counted. Lissa was taking deep, shaky breaths, holding onto Christian's arm to keep her stable. He was gazing at her worriedly, trying to soothe her with a jumble of words the poured out of his mouth in no intelligible language. Finally, she shushed him.

"I'm fine," she said. But inside, she was a mess of emotions. She was afraid because of the Strigoi, grateful to the guardians, afraid of the guardians, worried about me, worried about everyone else, glad I hadn't come, surprised I had listened. So many things swirled inside, I was worried it might prove too much. But with a deep, steadying breathe, she pushed the emotions away.

"Seriously, I'm fine," Lissa repeated. Christian looked anything but reassured, but he just stood there quietly, watching her. Adrian looked over and gestured to Lissa, who walked forward to where Adrian was trying to compell the humans. He looked frustrated.

"It's not quite working," he said. The humans looked half-dazed, half-aware, and some random questions popped to their mouths. Lissa stepped right in front of the first man and peered into his eyes.

"Everything is fine. You will forget the fight, and the last five minutes and go on with your business," she said steadily, her voice almost soothing. He nodded, that slack expression crossing over his face completely. Lissa turned to the next one and repeated it. Once again, the man looked blank.

"Good job, princess. We should probably get going," Guardian Evans said. Lissa nodded curtly. And after a moment and a glance towards the elevators, she left, following the guardians out.

I was surprised when everyone climbed into the van, including Abe, who I had been nearly sure would run. But he sat calmly, his hands clasped in his lap and a light expression on his face. In comparison, Adrian looked almost weak, his face tired and worried. Christian sat next to Lissa, one of her hands in both of his, and he was drawing soothing circles on her palm. My mother sat with her guardian mask on. Arielle just looked confused, and scared. They had yet to notice her. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Well, this is definitely a turn of events," Christian commented, looking around at everyone.

I slipped out of Lissa's head, satisfied that for the time being, she was safe. Dimitri was watching me, leaning on the door. I sighed.

"They're fine, I guess. The guardians took care of the Strigoi, and they are all heading back to court. Which was what we wanted but..." I trailed off, staring at him. Dimitri nodded and came to sit next to me.

"Everything will be fine," he murmured, putting his arm around me. I leaned my head over onto him.

"I sure hope so," I whispered.

**Okay, so finally everyone is gone... Except, of course, Victor and Robert, but who even counts them? ;) Anyway... what did you think? It kind of just came to me... So what did you think? Hope you enjoyed and please review!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Thanks for the amazing reviews! I love hearing what you have to say. :D And, with that being said, enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Eight

I couldn't calm down. I was anxious for Lissa; I kept wishing I was there, sitting with her, holding the hand Christian wasn't, helping him calm her. Because while she might have looked calm and royal on the outside, the inside was a swirl of emotions that were all pinpointing towards one thought: She was afraid. There were many things that were making her feel that way. She was afraid what the guardians were going to do. She was afraid of Strigoi. She was afraid of the Court, and the counsel awaiting their arrival. She was afraid for me. She was afraid of Victor, and what he might do. She was afraid for my relationship with Dimitri. She was afraid she would lose Christian. She was afraid what would happen when they got to court and she announced they had her sister. She was afraid that the counsel wouldn't accept it. She was afraid their being caught botched the entire plan. She was afraid we would get caught. In other words, she was a mess.

At least Christian was staying close to her side, glaring at anyone who even looked at her in anyway other than friendliness. Even curiosity was met with his glower, causing many guardians to turn to the front in fear he would turn them into a crisp. Not that they would show it. I was just pretty sure that was why.

Adrian and Arielle were sitting across from them, facing them in the leather chairs. Arielle sat quietly, staring out the plane window. Adrian looked as if he had caught a hold of the stewardess already and was holding a glass of a clear liquid that I was pretty sure wasn't water. And I, I was watching through Lissa's eyes.

I had been slipping in and out for a few hours now, just peeking in to make sure she was still safe. After a quick talk with Victor to let him know what had happened and what was going, Dimitri and I had returned to the vacated room and tried to relax. Except neither of us were really relaxing. Dimitri was constantly on guard, as if waiting for a group of guardians to burst in and take me away. And he was worried about Lissa. Which, on the one hand, I appreciated. Anyone who was concerned for my best friend was a good person. But because it was Dimitri, and because of the nearly worshiping way he acted towards her, the appreciativeness was slightly overshadowed by annoyance.

I slipped back out of Lissa's head and looked at Dimitri, was sitting on the bed nearest the door, his body tense and alert. For a moment I just stared; could all that really be mine? But, truth be told, I had no idea. So I decided it was time for a talk. Which, being the impatient person I was, I told him immediately.

"Comrade, we should talk," I said. He glanced over in surprise and nodded.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked. His eyes turned momentarily towards the door and then back to me. The door was locked twice, once with the deadlock and once with the metal bar. But that didn't stop him from worrying. And, truth be told, it should have bothered me, too. But I was too wrapped up in my own thing to really care.

"Us," I told him promptly. He cocked an eyebrow and just stared, waiting for me to elaborate. After a moment of collecting my thoughts, I spoke. "Dimitri, what are we?" I asked. He gave me another puzzled look, though I was pretty sure he understood.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Obviously, he was going to make me say it out loud.

"What are we? Together? What do we... mean to each other," I said. He got up and walked over, taking my hands in his and staring into my eyes with his deep brown ones that I could just get lost in.

"What do you want us to be?" he asked quietly. I shook my head.

"That's not what I'm asking. And besides, you know what I want," I mumbled. He shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not," he said without quite answering the question. I let out a frustrated groan and collapsed back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't want to talk any more, since you are going to be so difficult," I snapped. He sighed and laid down next to me, inspecting my profile as I stared moodily up.

"Roza, look at me," he murmured gently. He placed his hand on my chin and twisted my head to face him. "You want to know where we stand as a couple in our relationship, correct?" he clarified. I nodded stiffly.

"And you want us to be... together," he clarified once more. I sighed.

"No duh," I answered quickly. The side of his mouth drew up in a slight grin.

"And you want to know what I think," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"How come you are still saying everything, but you're getting answers out of me?" I asked. He shrugged and his smile became bigger.

"I'm just that good. Was I correct?" he asked. I nodded once more. He paused for so long I was beginning to wonder if he was going to answer.

"Well?" I finally snapped. He frowned at me.

"Patience is a virtue, Rose," he lectured. I just glared at him and finally he sighed.

"I want us to be together, Roza. You know that," he said. I shrugged.

"Do I know that?" I asked him, frustration seeping through my voice. He looked as frustrated as I was feeling.

"You should know that." Maybe I was being too harsh on him. Yet, I couldn't help the anger bubbling just below the surface.

"Well, maybe I don't, because maybe you are too stingy with your feelings!" I shrieked, getting up and starting to pace. His brows came together in confusion, and then a worried look crossed his face.

"Rose?" he asked tentatively. I whirled around.

"What?" I snapped. He stood up, his arms in front of his body in a supposedly calming gesture which just irritated me further.

"What, am I some rabid dog that has to be put down or something?" I asked angrily. He shook his head.

"Of course not. I just think maybe there are some other things going on here," he said. I frowned.

"Like what?" I asked. He put his hands down slowly, as if I would snap if he moved too quickly. Of course, there might have been some truth to that theory.

"Vasilisa has been using a lot of spirit recently," he said cautiously, moving a little closer.

"Lissa," I corrected him. "Why can't you just call her Lissa?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot for a moment. Lissa, then, has been using a lot of spirit recently." I thought about it for a moment, but my brain was a whirl of dark emotions. And then, somewhere in the deeper, saner recesses of my mind, a light clicked on. _Lissa's been using a lot of spirit..._

"No," I said. The small part of me that was still in control said it dreadingly, but the rest was angry that he would even think that I was insane because of spirit.

"You know what? You can't just push off me being angry at you due to spirit! I can just be angry without being insane!" I yelled. He made a shushing sound which irritated me more.

"Oh, I can't talk now either?" I asked. I knew I was being irrational, I knew he was right. But I couldn't help myself. Because he was correct. It was the spirit. Lissa had healed me, and then made those rings, and I'm sure she had been working with Adrian and Arielle... It made sense. But I wasn't very sensible on my best days.

"Rose, you know that's not what I mean. But we don't want to draw undue attention to ourselves. And yelling would definitely do that," he said, calm as usual. He took another step toward me.

"Dimitri, help me," I yelped, the normal Rose leaking out. I didn't want the dark, angry emotions that were whirring through me.

"Roza, sit down on the bed," he ordered. I immediately sat down, trying to keep my mouth in check. "Now, just try to think about the good things. About Lissa, and Adrian, and Chris- Okay, maybe not Christian," he said with a slight grin as I glowered at him. I tried to take a deep, steadying breath, but it wasn't really working. I still felt everything inside of me. And suddenly, I didn't want to be sitting here, trying to calm down. I wanted to be doing something.

I sprang up from the bed and made a run for the door, but before I could get a foot, two arms encircled me and pushed me back down onto the bed. Dimitri was nearly laying on top of me, his body keeping me from moving.

"Get... Off... Of... Me," I muttered, trying to get myself loose. But I couldn't move my arms or legs. I was trapped.

"Damn it, get off of me!" I yelled. Dimitri shook his head.

"Not until you get this out of you. Because this isn't you," he said, his brown eyes gazing directly into me. I closed my eyes, still wriggling. And then his words washed over me. _This isn't you. _I remembered something, a tickle of a memory edging at my conscious. So I stopped trying to get away and tugged at the memory. It came easily, one of my favorite memories in the world. Or, it came right before the most favorite memory.

It was right after the Lissa-compulsion debacle. She had used what they called "super compulsion" on Jesse, making him believe he was seeing things that weren't really there. And I had told her that it wasn't her. That she needed to let it go. And she gave it to me.

I had attacked Jesse, trying to kill him. I had wanted to kill him. But Dimitri had pulled me away, to that cabin in the woods that Tasha Ozera had stayed at when she was visiting. He had said the same words to me. _This isn't you._ And just like the last time, it had struck a cord. Of course, last time had ended in us having sex for the first time, and ultimately to Dimitri's capture.

"Oh. My. God." I took a deep, ragged breath, feeling all emotion draining out of my body, leaving me limp. Dimitri felt the difference and released the pressure a little, staring at me with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently, his face inches from mine. So I did the only sensible I thing I could do. I kissed him.

**Wow. I am so bad! I am so sorry guys! I know it has been way too long... This chapter took a while to write, when I actually had time. School is starting in a week, and I have so much homework before then... Plus, I am redoing my bathroom. And of course, my parents need me to help them around the house... Today was yard work: weeding, mowing, the whole caboodle. And it was hot. But, enough of my lame excuses. I am just sorry! I will try to be better about getting the next chapter up. :) Again, thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoyed, and please review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey! Sorry for the long wait... again. And, sadly enough, school for me is starting tomorrow... Which means a lot less free time. Thats actually what I've been doing for the past few days. Homework. I'll do my best, but no guarantees as to when I will be able to write again. :( On a separate note, thanks for all the lovely reviews! And, with that, enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Thirty Nine

The kiss had lengthened, deepened. His hands were moving all across my body, holding me close. At first I had been surprised; where was the post-Strigoi Dimitri, the one who needed his space? But as soon as it was in my head, it vanished. There was little room for thought when he was touching me the way he was.

It reminded me so much of the night at the cabin that it seemed as if I was back there again. But then I would be brought to reality. In either situation, though, I was with the one I loved. So it didn't matter.

He was murmuring my name like I loved, like a prayer that only he knew and that moved him to the core. It made me shiver, the way his Russian voice said it. "Roza..." he sighed, his mouth moving to my neck.

It was a subconscious reaction. I didn't understand why it happened. But I felt myself tense up for the bite, as if Dimitri was still a Strigoi and would take my blood. And in turn give me endorphins.

I tried to relax myself as quickly as possible, but Dimitri had felt it, and he had understood what it had meant. In an instant he was off of me, tugging back on his shirt.

"We should probably leave here soon," he said in a controlled tone, his eyes darting to the door. I sighed and sat up, not bothering to put my shirt back on. I was too stunned.

"Dimitri... what just happened?" I asked. He stared at me.

"You tell me," he said. I stood up and walked over, but he flinched away from my touch.

"Seriously? Are we back to that?" I asked, my anger instantly flaring up.

"We're not having this discussion," he said. I slapped my hands against my legs.

"Oh, really? We're not?" I asked him irritatedly. He nodded.

"No, we're not," he said firmly. I shrugged.

"Well, too damn bad. I want to talk about it. I didn't mean to react that way, and I'm sorry," I said in a rush, subconsciously afraid that he would cut me off before I finished. He stared stonily at me.

"That isn't the problem. It's just not safe to stay here much longer," he said. I cocked my head.

"Oh really? Because you seemed pretty content to stay awhile right before that!" I yelled. And it was true; he had had no intention of going anywhere only a few minutes ago, before he had moved down to his neck.

"So maybe it was a problem. Maybe I don't exactly like that when I touch your neck, you feel like you're about to get bitten. I'm sorry, but yes, that is a problem!" he yelled, finally losing his temper. His face was livid, his eyes blazing as he stared at me. I frowned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," I said, moving closer to him to place my hand on his arm. He flinched but didn't move, and after a moment he sighed, regaining his composure.

"No, I'm sorry... it's a natural reaction. It just... You can't even imagine how difficult it is. How many times I have to remind myself that I'm not that... thing anymore. That I couldn't control myself. That it wasn't me. I just... I can barely stand it sometimes. And then, having you react like I was going to bite you... It brought back all the memories I have been trying desperately to forgot," he said, his mask cracking a bit and the all-consuming grief shining in his eyes. I touched his face gently.

"Don't think about it. Let's just... enjoy ourselves," I said, leaning up and pressing my lips against his. It took a moment, but he responded. It was hesitant, though. Controlled. I sighed and pulled away.

"You're right about one thing, though. We should really get out of here as soon as possible," I said, wrapping my arms around him and just letting him hold me. He nodded against my hair, that hair he loved so much.

"I know. Do you know what _his _plans are?" Dimitri asked grudgingly. Neither of us were really happy with this situation: Dimitri, Victor and I. He had once put us under a lust charm and then flung it out at court, knowing full well no one would take him seriously, but wanting to rub it in our face and make us sweat anyways. I shrugged uncomfortably and then brushed it off.

"I don't know. But we should probably go ask him," I said. Dimitri nodded and followed me out the door to the hotel room next door, where we stopped and knocked. Victor took his sweet time answering, but finally he opened the door and let us in.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Victor asked pleasantly. Dimitri and I exchanged a look, as usual completely in sync with each other. We were not happy.

"Whats the plan?" I asked. Victor smiled.

"We are going to be leaving soon," he said. I gritted my teeth.

"And?" I asked impatiently. I resisted the urge to tap my foot.

"And then we will discuss things. It is not really safe here," he said, looking around with a curious expression on his face. I was ready to continue arguing, but Dimitri grabbed my arm and led me out of the room and back to ours. Thankfully he had had the foresight to grab a key before we left, otherwise we would have been stuck staring at the door for a while. Or, of course, we could have gone down to the lobby. Neither were great options. Dimitri quickly opened the door and we both slid in, closing and locking the door behind us.

"We're depending on him to help us find who killed Queen Tatiana," he reminded me softly. I sighed and slumped onto the bed nearest the door.

"I know. And it's killing me," I said. He nodded.

"I know. How is Lissa?" he asked, changing the subject in an obvious and yet perfect attempt at diverting my grumbling thoughts. I immediately felt through the bond. She was still scared, still worried, still upset. I slipped into her head without a thought, and found myself in a car, a limo by the looks of it. Arielle and Christian were in the car with her; a look behind her at the limo behind told me all I had to know. Abe, my mother, and Adrian were in that vehicle. Lissa focused her attention on the guardian sitting in the back with the three of them.

"What's going to happen?" she asked. He shrugged.

"That's for us to know and you to find out," he said. He glanced her over, a admiring look coming into his eyes. Christian's hand, which was clenched around Lissa's, tightened. She squeezed back gently, and his hold loosened slightly so she could actually feel her fingers again. She looked worriedly at Arielle, who was sitting silently, slumped over slightly, sleeping by the looks of it. Before I could read Lissa, figure out what was wrong with the picture, I felt someone shaking my shoulder.

"Rose? Rose, you need to come here," someone was saying. And after a moment, I recognized the Russian-laced voice. I yanked out of Lissa's head and looked at Dimitri, who had been shaking me. Next to him, slightly transparent, was Arielle. And it clicked.

"Oh..." I said, a slight smile crossing my face. Arielle looked puzzled but shook it off.

"How are you doing?" she asked. I shrugged.

"Fine, I guess. Still a crazed murderer on the run. You know, the usual," I joked. She rolled her eyes, reminding so much of Lissa.

"Lissa asked me to check on you," she told me quickly. I sighed.

"Lissa should be worrying about herself, not me. How are you guys doing?" I asked. She sat down on the bed, and sighed.

"Well, it's kinda weird. Like, they won't really tell us anything," she said. "Lissa's holding up, though. Besides, she has Christian to protect her," she said. I nodded. Sometimes there was no one I would rather have with Lissa then Christian. Except myself, of course. But considering the circumstances, until my name was cleared, that was going to be a problem. So Christian would have to suffice.

"You guys are still here?" she asked, her eyes flitting around the hotel room. Dimitri nodded, making me nearly tip over in surprise. He could see her? And then I remembered; she could make herself appear at will. Meaning she was allowing him to see her.

"But we should be leaving soon," he told her. Arielle nodded.

"All right. Well, I'm going to go let Lissa know. I'll be checking in periodically, just to check how things are going," she told me. She was starting to disappear, just like a ghost.

"Wait! How will you find us?" I asked. She smiled mysteriously, continuing to disappear.

"I have my ways," she answered before leaving. I glanced at Dimitri and opened my mouth to speak when there was a knock on the door. Dimitri looked through the peep hole and then opened the door.

"Be ready to go in ten minutes," Victor said. And, before we knew it, we were in a car and gone.

**All right, finally here is chapter thirty nine. I am SOOOOO sorry it took so long! School has been crazy, and I'm still trying to get into the groove of things. On another note, I would like to thank _gracefish21 _for taking the initiative to message me! I'll be completely honest in saying that this probably wouldn't have been out until Sunday if I hadn't gotten on and found the message, asking when I was updating and that my story was a favorite. So, thank you bunches! :) On that note, this was mostly a filler, leading up to some more interesting things... like who killed Tatiana. ;) Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hey! Again, so sorry for the wait! I had every intention of getting another chapter out over the three day weekend, but I had too much homework- I only watched one movie, and I spent nearly twenty hours working on different assignments. It was really ridiculous. But enough of my lame excuses... I would like to once again thank _gracefish21 _for taking the time to email me and ask me when I am writing again. You have no idea how that helps! With that being said, enjoy and please review! Thanks for all the comments! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Forty

It was weird, being on a plane once again. It wasn't the plane part that was weird, necessarily, but the lack of spirits hanging around. And the fact Dimitri was sitting next to me, holding my hand. And that Victor of all people was with us. And that... There was just too many weird things to really count them all out. I just sat back, semi-relaxed. If nothing else, I knew Dimitri was with me.

Of course, I was also extremely anxious. I wanted to know who killed the Queen, mostly so I could go kill them myself. At least then I would have something to actually be in jail for. At least then I really would have a murder on my hands. And besides, how could they frame me?

Victor was chatting softly with his brother up near the front. Their eyes kept drifting back to where we were sitting, putting me slightly on edge. And just like that, any semblance of peace was gone.

"What do you think they're talking about?" I asked Dimitri. He shrugged, remaining impassive.

"I can't even pretend to know what two insane people would talk about," he said with a slight edge to his voice. I glanced over at him, surprised. He was usual the calm one, the level-headed one. But his hands were squinted towards the front in a glare that would have made my toes curled had it been directed at me. Not that I would ever admit that to him, or anyone. Because I was the fearless Rose Hathaway. Or at least the reckless Rose Hathaway. Somehow, fearless sounded better.

It had been nearly three hours since we had climbed into the car to go to the plane. I had not heard anything from Lissa or Arielle or Adrian, and I was starting to get anxious. Okay, so maybe starting to wasn't the right word...

I felt insanely guilty and worried for all of them. They would never have been in trouble except for me. And while Adrian had once made a very good point, that none of them had stellar reputations, it wasn't quite true. If nothing else, my mother and Lissa definitely had something at stake. And what about Arielle? She hadn't done anything wrong. And she was sucked into it just like the rest.

For whatever reason, Lissa was blocking me, which only made me worry more. Because she usually only blocked me if she was planning a surprise or in serious trouble or pain. Obviously the former wasn't true; somehow I couldn't see her being able to plan a surprise party for the murderer of the queen while in jail. Which only left the second option, which usually involved tense pain and fear. At least, however comforting it was, I knew Christian was with her. And if he was good for one thing, it was protecting Lissa.

"What are you thinking about?" Dimitri murmured, staring worriedly at me. I shrugged slightly and he nodded. He knew exactly what I was thinking about.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," I finally snapped, throwing my hands up into the air and slapping them down onto my thighs. I gave Dimitri an annoyed look which wasn't really directed at him, but was pointing towards him none the less. "I'm going to go talk to Victor." And with that I stood up and walked purposefully towards the front. Victor immediately saw me and hurriedly leaned away from Robert, as if they hadn't been having an intense conversation just five seconds ago. I stomped up and threw myself into a chair across from them. After a minute Dimitri sat down quietly next to me, and as always it surprised me how gracefully he moved considering his tall frame. Dimitri clasped his hands together and leaned back, waiting for me to speak.

"What is going on? You said you might have some information. Now I want to know what it is," I snapped. Victor just smiled politely.

"Well, since I am the one with the information you seek so desperately, may I suggest being more polite yourself?" he suggested calmly, a smirk on his face. I balled my hands into fists, trying to keep my anger in check.

"Just tell me. I'm not playing games," I said, though my voice was slightly lower. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I'm not either, Rosemarie," he said, his voice quiet and serious. He leaned forward and placed his clasped hands on his knees.

"I told you I have information, did I not?" he asked, his eyes going over some piece of the plane absentmindedly. I nodded tightly. "Now, Rosemarie, before I say anything, let me remind you all I have done for you recently, and all I can do for you in the future. Like placing the blame somewhere. Maybe someone you severely dislike?" he said, his focus pointed and his words crisp. I couldn't quite understand what he was saying.

"Just get on with it," I barked, tired of the mind games. Victor leaned back in his chair and appraised me for a moment.

"You don't like me very much," he commented with a slight sigh at the end. My eyes widened.

"No fucking duh," I said. He smirked.

"And you like me just as little as Miss Hathaway," Victor said, his eyes turning towards Dimitri. He stared back coldly, and Victor smirked.

"Yes. I suppose I have done something to deserve that," he said with a wistful sigh. "I had so many plans... But you just had to realize what was going on," he said, his eyes turning colder as he continued to watch Dimitri.

"I wanted to help the Moroi and Dhampirs, you know. Not like that hypocritical bitch who dared to call herself queen," Victor whispered, his eyes glazing over as he remembered. "Yes, I wanted to help. But you stopped me," he said. "And then you killed my daughter."

His comments were aimed at both of us, even if Dimitri was technically the one who had staked her. I could feel myself shaking from anger.

"You forced her to change! You forced your own daughter to change!" I yelled. Victor stared at me for a moment, and I could see the slightest trace of pain in his eyes.

"Yes, I asked her to change. Asked being the operative term. And she said yes. But of course I never would have asked if I hadn't been able to turn her back," he trailed off momentarily, staring out the window. Robert was silent beside him, staring at his uneven nails.

"Just out of curiosity, how did the charm work out? I assume it must have been going pretty well, due to the delay, but something must have gone on. Did it wear off?" Victor questioned, his interest rising as his eyes turned back to watch us. I stiffened.

"That is absolutely none of your business," Dimitri snapped, surprising me. It was almost like the time we had visited Victor in the Royal Court's jail.

"I am assuming that you did not, shall we say, complete the deed?" Victor asked, his smirk increasing. I felt the not-so-strange urge to reach out and strangle him to death, but I quickly shoved my hands underneath my thighs.

"I see. Well, when did you?" he asked curiously.

"Again, none of your business," I hissed. Victor shrugged.

"It is of no real importance. I know you must have, and that is good enough," he said with another shrug.

He was obviously trying to distract us. I opened my mouth to speak.

"Oh, I have not forgotten your inquiry of earlier," Victor interrupted. I shut my mouth and waited, trying to be patient, something I have never strong in. And then I felt Dimitri's hand grasping mine from underneath my thighs and pulling it out, squeezing reassuringly. He was so much better at waiting then I was.

"Would you please tell me what I have done recently, that in some ways redeems me?" Victor asked, going off topic again. I sighed angrily.

"Will you tell us if we do this?" I asked. He nodded and smiled.

"Oh, yes, I most certainly will." He smiled more broadly, encouragingly. I rolled my eyes and breathed out, gritting my teeth.

"Well, you broke me out of jail. And you helped us find Lissa's sister," I said. Victor nodded, pleased.

"Yes, I did. And did you have any information on her before hand?" he asked. I shook my head, annoyed that I had to. Victor nodded once more.

"Well, I think that with that fresh on your mind... Well, I will tell you what my suspicions are," he said. He paused for dramatic effect.

"I killed Queen Tatiana."

**Ahh, the moment has finally come. The not-so-alusive killer has come out. Now all we have to figure out is why he would do what we did. Of course, there raises a question in there... Did Victor say that? Or did somebody else? Obviously, they were only really sitting between the four of them, but with Victor you never really know... LOL. Actually, just kidding. He did kill her. That is him speaking. So, anyway... Hope you enjoyed! I typed this up in about half an hour, so please excuse any mistakes or bad writing... :( I'm doing the best I can. Again, hope you enjoyed and please review! Thanks!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey! Loved the reviews I've been getting! ;) I like to try to keep the story interesting by looking for something different from what everyone else is doing... Or at least changing the situation in which it happens different. :) It's been so much fun writing this. I'm not exactly sure how many chapters are going to be left, just in case anyone was wondering, but I honestly feel as if I have barely started. Sometimes it surprises me that I have forty chapters. But anyway... Again, thanks for the reviews! Enjoy and please review! And I own nothing.**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**

Chapter Forty One

You have to say something pretty damn impressive or surprising to leave me speechless. This was definitely one of those occasions. I stared at the man in the chair across from me, trying to understand the words coming out of his mouth. _I killed Queen Tatiana._ Like, what? Could Victor really have just said that.

He was sitting back in the large leather chair, watching Dimitri and I as we puzzled through the sentence. _I. _Well, that one's pretty easy. He's referring to himself, Victor Dashkov. _Killed._ Well, that ones pretty easy two. It means he offed someone. Murdered. _Queen Tatiana._ And there was the real stumper. Obviously I knew who she was; I had once called her a sanctimonious bitch to her face, in front of the court. But...

"I don't understand," I admitted begrudgingly, looking towards Dimitri to see if he was having any more success. He was staring at Victor with those dark brown eyes, which right now were completely unreadable. Victor chuckled.

"I would say it is pretty obvious, Rosemarie. I killed Queen Tatiana. I framed you." His words were light, as if we were discussing nothing more than the weather, or the speck of dirt on his shiny black shoes.

"But... Why?" I was, for once, completely flabbergasted. Maybe, just maybe, I could have seen it before. But, for God's sake, he helped me get out of jail! Of course, I knew more than most people how insane he was, but this seemed beyond even him.

"Well, I would say it is pretty obvious. If I am not mistaken, Mr. Belikov seems to understand," he said, his eyes trained on Dimitri.

"He killed the queen because he wants control. He can't be in power because of the situation with Lissa. So he decides to kill the queen, frame you, help you get out and help Lissa so you feel indebted to him, get you out of the trial by presenting new evidence through you. Therefore, he gets almost everything he wants. The only thing he doesn't really get is the actual crown, but he can settle for Lissa being in power, because he would now have power over you," he said, disgust filtering through his face.

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. Even now, Victor was behind it all. I wouldn't even be surprised if he was behind the Spokane thing, even though he was in jail at the time and it didn't make sense. He just seemed that devious.

"I wish I had thought of that," I finally said thoughtfully. Dimitri gave me a dubious look and I shook my head. "I'm not saying I wanted the queen dead or anything, I'm just saying... It's a really good plan."

As I continued to think more about it, though, my anger started rising. Quickly. Next thing I knew, Dimitri was restraining me, his arms wrapped tightly around me. Apparently, I had tried to lung for him. Oops.

"Let. Go. Of. Me," I snarled, fighting him, my eyes directly on Victor. But Dimitri held me back.

"Stop it, Rose," he snapped uncharacteristically. If the look in his eyes were any indication, he wanted to kill him, too. But he was restraining himself, as usual.

"How can you possibly not lose it? He. Totally. Fucked. Up. My. Life," I hissed, narrowing my eyes. Dimitri shook his head.

"Of course I know, but killing him won't help. He says he knows a way to get you out of the situation," Dimitri reminded me gently. At this point, I was about ready to strangle him, too.

"The situation _he _put me in so he could manipulate me!" I screamed. I again struggled, but Dimitri's arms were like iron vices around me. I narrowed my eyes at Victor, like little laser beams pointed straight at him, trying to fry him to ashes.

"You better be extremely glad that Dimitri is holding me down right now," I hissed. He appeared calm, despite everything, although there was the flicker of fear in his eyes as he took in Dimitri's buff arms. Almost as if he was wandering whether he would be able to hold me long enough.

"Rose, I know that you are angry-" he began. I cut him off.

"Angry? I am so pissed off at you right now, I'm surprised you can't feel little pinpricks in your skin of the anger pulsing off of me," I snapped. Victor stayed silent for a moment, his hands crossed gently over his lap.

"What would you do, Rose? Tell them that I was behind everything? There is only one little problem; that would get you involved. Because of course, naturally, they would be angry that you didn't immediately turn me in. And they would be furious that you let me out in the first place, and then let me get away," he said pleasantly, his voice smooth and friendly but his words like needles being shot into my skin. I sank down into my chair. Dimitri glanced at me for a moment, trying to determine whether he still needed to hold me. But while I was still furious beyond belief, the anger was stilted by the fear that shot through me. I tried to look unaffected, but when Dimitri shifted his arms into more of a comforting embraced, I realized I wasn't doing a good job.

"Ah, I see I have struck a nerve," Victor said with a smirk. I glared at him.

"You son of a b-" Dimitri cut me off before I could finish. In one graceful, swift movement, he was standing, tugging me along with him. His eyes were cold and hard as he stared down at Victor.

"Rose and I have some discussing to do," he said, his voice clipped. Victor waved his hand pleasantly, welcoming us to leave, a move that I found totally moronic. What if we plotted to kill him? Why would he give us the time to plot anything?

As I followed Dimitri to the back of the plane, one thought kept swirling through my preoccupied head. _Victor ruined everything. _I was so caught up in my own problems, that it took me a few moments to realize that some extremely strong and terrified emotions were running through me. The only problem was, they weren't from me. They were from the bond. _Lissa._

Without thinking, I slipped into the bond. They had obviously arrived at the Royal Court. And things were not good.

**I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has been reviewing, but especially _Violettwilight_, who probably unintentionally wrote the funniest review. :) Thank you! It definitely put a smile on my face. I would also like to again thank _gracefish21 _for continuing to send me messages and not giving up on me. Thank you! And with the thank yous done, sorry that this was such a short chapter and it took so long to get out. I just wanted to get it out as soon as possible. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. Also, while previously I was able to update pretty frequently, my schedule is now too busy to allow so much writing time, unfortunately. That being said, I'm going to update once a week at the minimum. Obviously, whatever extra time I can squeeze in, I will, to try and get the chapter out faster. But at this point, count on getting a chapter a week. Sorry! With that being said, I hope you enjoyed and please review! Thank you bunches!**


	42. Explanation and News

**I recently received an angry (though rightly so) review from thunder and molnija about my absence from FanFiction, and I wanted to explain.**

**I was very happily writing the story, and then school started. And it was crazy. I lost both my grandfathers, I had surgery, I graduated. I got a new computer and my parents put controls on it blocking FanFiction. I stopped writing and I didn't have time and I got caught up in my own life, forgetting the imaginary world Richelle Mead had created and I had worked on through FanFiction.**

**I love what I wrote. It was natural, almost too easy, to delve into the world of Rose, Dimitri, Adrian and friends. But then the book came out and I figured it didn't matter anyways, because now we had the real thing. However, after recently getting attached to The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (which, if you haven't watched, you need to because it is amazing), and having it ending this week, I am realizing how unfair it is that I just stopped and left you all hanging.**

**I am going to try to continue writing it. I haven't read _Last Sacrifice _ since it first came out, so my mind is still pretty fresh as to the story, so I am pretty confident I can continue writing the story without too much influence from the final book.**

**Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews and for the faith in my writing. I can't wait to continue and get back into the FanFiction world. Especially with the development of _Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters_, I have a feeling we have not seen the end of the _Vampire Academy_'s popularity yet.**

**I'll try to get a chapter out this week. Pinky promise!**

**-GuardianRoseHathaway**


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